A Colonialist Study in Park'sTravelsin the Interior Districts of Africa

Abstract

The present research has tried to study colonialism in Park'sTravels inthe Interior Districts of Africa. The African Association sends Park to Africa to explore the interior parts of continent for its profitable uses. The book is an account of park's expedition to Africa to support European mission to find out the navigational commerce in the region. Through the book, Park proposes civilizing mission that when British intervention proceeds they bring civilization to the barbarian, enlightenment to the heathen, prosperity to the impoverished, law and social order to the brutish primitive. It is the Justification of British's self-appointed mission of spreading "civilization", commerce", and "Christianity" across the globe. To achieve this goal, Park applies mostly anti-conquest and reciprocity as the means that leads him to his mission—exploration of the West Africa and the new channel of commerce. In most cases, Park remains passive, sometimes helpless persona, and for long, he is entirely reliant on charity—who can accuse him of exploiting or harming anyone? It is the main strategy Park uses to establish his situation of anti-conquest— an innocent pursuit of knowledge. This seemingly innocent pursuit of knowledge gives the British or the colonizer power to exploit and colonize the nations or continent like Africa.