THE NUTMEGS CURSE: CH 3

Question 1

Bandanese Relationship with Nature Vs. European Perception

Answer 1

The colonization of the Americas contributed to the perception of nature as an inert repository of resources, suppressing indigenous beliefs in the sacredness of landscapes and perpetuating violence against both nature and people.

• Bandanese people viewed nature as a living entity intertwined with their history and meaning, contrasting with the European perception of nature as inert and solely exploitable for profit.
• Ex of volcanoes: In Indonesian culture, volcanoes hold spiritual significance, representing a connection between human society, nature, and the cosmos, contrasting with Western views of nature as inert and exploitable. Volcanoes are knit into the lives of Indonesians (makes Islamic and Christian fundamentalists angry)

Question 2

Mechanistic Philosophy

Answer 2

European colonization laid the foundation for mechanistic philosophies, reducing nature and humanity to inert entities to be exploited, paving the way for later thinkers like Descartes and Bacon.

Question 3

Dual Perception of Nutmeg

Answer 3

1. The Bandanese saw nutmeg as more than a commodity; it held intrinsic meaning tied to their land and culture.
2. European view of nutmeg solely as a subject of science and commerce. This outlook reflected a metaphysic that was then emerging in Europe, in which matter was seen as “brute” and “stupid” and hence deserving of conquest “with the most destructive of technologies with nothing but profit and material wealth as ends.

Question 4

Vitalist Metaphysic

Answer 4

Despite efforts to desacralize nature, the vitalist metaphysic persisted in the West, emerging as a counterculture against the dominant narrative of nature as inert and exploitable.

Question 5

The emergence of a new economy, modernity and shift in perception

Answer 5

The emergence of a new economy based on resource extraction required the suppression of indigenous beliefs and the desacralization of nature for economic gain, leading to widespread violence and exploitation of those who voiced otherwise (ex: witch hunts).

• The perception of nature as inert and exploitable transformed through colonization and violence, replacing vitalist metaphysics with a mechanistic worldview that prioritized profit and exploitation.
• The concept of nature as inert and exploitable became hegemonic in the West, shaping official modernity and shared by the global elite, marginalizing alternative perceptions of nature as living and meaningful.

Question 6

Dutch Golden Age

Answer 6

The VOC’s monopoly on the spices of the East Indies made the Dutch famous across Europe for their enterprise and commercial prowess.

• The monetary returns on spices were astronomical → helped to flourish Dutch art and this time became known as the Dutch Golden Age, and the thought about inert nature was clear in many paintings (still lives), but violence was never included.
• It was well known to Westerners of that time that the Dutch campaign against the Bandanese was indeed a war of extermination.

Question 7

British Myth of Victimhood and Media

Answer 7

The myth of the Amboyna executions, largely fabricated by the East India Company, served to portray the English as innocent victims, masking Britain’s imperial aggression and violence.

Print media played a crucial role in perpetuating British myths of victimhood and innocence, facilitating the distortion of historical narratives to justify further expansion and colonial aggression.

Question 8

Ghosh’s Critique

Answer 8

Ghosh critiques European narratives of colonialism, highlighting the violence and exploitation underlying the spice trade and colonial projects, while questioning modern definitions of genocide and victimhood.