At this point in the semester, imperialism and the silencing of various groups of the perceived “other” is not a foreign concept. While Americans generally exclude themselves from negative connotations related to colonialism and their assumed dominance over other nations, American Imperialism has affected many places around the world, especially after 9/11. In Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez falls victim to America’s tendency to encourage people from other cultures to adopt American customs. Changez comes to America for the praised education system so that he, a foreigner, could work for an American company, which would further contribute to America’s success and prosperity. “Kidnapping” highly talented people from around the world with the promise of opportunity in America is prohibiting other countries from reaching their true potential. Not only does America force its culture and customs onto others remotely, but this country also outsources its power to other countries as well. For example, after 9/11, America’s enormous military power becomes prevalent in Pakistan: Changez’s place of origin. This military presence put Changez’s family in danger, as it led to thousands of deaths in the country as well as a drastic decline in economic success. Changez’s original love for America was slowly but surely replaced with a hatred for this country and the way it forces itself upon other nations. America’s overwhelming power led Changez to return to Pakistan to teach and assemble anti-American demonstrators instead of staying in America to delve into the opportunity he was exposed to in this country. While in some lights it may seem as though America’s imperialism has benefitted other nations, at length, it is shown to strip other nations from their culture, silence subaltern voices, and result in more prosperity for America itself than the other nations it claims to have revamped.
In this Crash Course video, John Green explains the intentions and purposes related to American Imperialism as well as the results it has on other nations.
Works Cited:
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-reluctant-fundamentalist/themes/american-imperialism
https://www.newsweek.com/us-pakistan-alliance-after-9-11-was-one-biggest-blunders-country-imran-khan-says-1460946
https://isreview.org/issue/78/evolution-us-pakistan-policy
I really think it’s good to have this outside contextual view of America before reading Hamid’s story. I think it’s too easy to dismiss Changez’s criticisms of American culture and way life as unfounded, but I appreciate how your Context Research Presentation concisely sums up these criticisms and the logic behind them.
America has a bit of a superiority complex and while it is generally held – in America at least – that America’s interference and somewhat overbearing nature is for the good of the world, I think it’s also extremely insightful to see the negative effects these actions have on other countries nationwide.
Thank you very much for your speech. Through your speech, I became more aware of the changes in Changez’s life after 9/11. The United States encourages people from other cultural backgrounds in order to acquire more talents. In fact, it was just a virtual image, and there was a war in Pakistan after 9/11.