Chapter 13 How influential are white people and how did their culture spread globally?
What is culture?
“Culture is the way a community lives through its clothing, games and sports, cuisine, religious beliefs, language, and music. A community’s culture determines its future.”
White culture spread across the world through colonization and became the dominant culture in many colonized regions
1.Sports which spread through colonization:
Cricket
Spread by the British Empire to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, and the Caribbean. Today, former colonies dominate the sport.
Football (soccer)
Formalized in England and spread worldwide through British trade routes, colonial administration, missionaries, and schools. Became deeply rooted in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
2.Cuisines which spread through colonization:
British cuisine elements
Tea culture, baked goods, roasts, puddings, and breakfast styles spread across South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Tea culture in India and Bangladesh is a direct result.
Spanish cuisine
Wheat bread, olive oil, pork, and dairy spread to Latin America and the Philippines. Spanish cooking methods mixed with Indigenous foods and reshaped local cuisines.
Portuguese cuisine
Chilies, potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, and vinegar-based cooking spread across Africa, South Asia, and Brazil. Portuguese influence is strong in Goan and Brazilian food.
French cuisine techniques
Sauces, baking, pastries, and dining etiquette spread to parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean through colonial administration and elite education.
Dutch cuisine elements
Baking methods, dairy use, and spice trade practices influenced Indonesian cuisine, especially through colonial kitchens and plantations.
Italian food basics (later period)
Pasta, bread culture, and tomato-based cooking spread through migration linked to colonial and post-colonial expansion.
Sugar-based cuisines
Plantation economies forced sugar into global diets, reshaping desserts, beverages, and food industries worldwide.
3.Clothes which spread through colonization:
Western suits and formal wear
Suits, shirts, trousers, ties, and coats spread through colonial administration, law, education, and business. They became symbols of authority and professionalism in colonies.
Trousers and shirts as everyday wear
Replaced or sidelined many indigenous garments because colonial systems required them in offices, schools, and military service.
Military uniforms
European-style uniforms spread through colonial armies and police forces, later becoming the model for post-colonial state uniforms.
School uniforms
Introduced by colonial education systems. Still common across South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Hats and caps
Bowler hats, caps, and helmets spread widely. Some were later localized, like the bowler hat among Indigenous women in Bolivia.
Footwear
Leather shoes, boots, and socks became standard in formal and urban life, replacing or supplementing traditional footwear.
4.Religion which spread through colonization:
Christianity
The most widespread through colonization.
Spread by Spanish, Portuguese, British, French, and Dutch empires across the Americas, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Missionaries, colonial schools, and state power enforced or encouraged conversion.
- Catholicism spread mainly through Spanish and Portuguese colonization in Latin America, the Philippines, and parts of Africa.
- Protestantism spread through British and Dutch colonization in Africa, the Caribbean, North America, and the Pacific.
Christian missionary education systems
Even where full conversion did not occur, Christian values, holidays, names, and moral frameworks became embedded in law, schooling, and public life.
5.Music which spread through colonization:
Western popular music foundations
Musical structures from Europe mixed with African rhythms in colonized societies, later producing global genres like jazz, blues, rock, reggae, and pop. While these evolved locally, the colonial system enabled their global spread.
6.Languages which spread through colonization:
English – Spread by the British Empire across North America, the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Became a global lingua franca in trade, administration, and education.
Spanish – Spread by Spain to Latin America, the Philippines, and parts of Africa. Became dominant in government, schools, and daily life in colonies.
Portuguese – Spread to Brazil, parts of Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau), and Asia (Goa, East Timor). Remains the official language in many former colonies.
French – Spread to parts of Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), and Canada. Used in administration, education, and culture.
Dutch – Spread to Indonesia, Suriname, and parts of the Caribbean, mainly for trade, administration, and education.
From sports to language everything that is included to culture are spread to the world by white people. By adopting white peoples’ cultural elements now those became non-white peoples’ culture and shifted to cultural appropriation.
