Southernization

Lynda Shaffer uses the term southernization as something akin to the term westernization. There is no mere coincidence of language that leads Shaffer to use this term, however; not only are the two words used to describe highly similar cultural phenomena, but Shaffer contends that southernization actually set Europe and the rest of the world for westernization. The movement of certain technologies and cultural developments from South Asia to the North and eventually through Europe by way of the caliphates, Shaffer contends, allowed for the cultural developments of Western Europe during and after the Middle Ages that led to the process of westernization.

Part of this southernization consisted of -- and depended on -- the development of trade routes into China and Africa by the Indians. This civilization was already quite strong; cotton was first domesticated and cultivated in the Indus River valley, leading to the development of cheap fabrics and clothing -- and many things to trade and pass along to other civilizations. India was also the site where sugar was first granulated, enabling it to be stored and transported and leading to still more trade advantages. Within China, rice cultivation also spread from the south to the north, adding to this trend of southernization as far as agriculture (Far Outliers).

The hunt for and trade in gold also led to a great deal of Southernization, establishing important trade routes between India and Ethiopia and making the south central to later development in northern areas. This also made the south central to cultural development in the arts, religion, and many other areas. The Byzantine empire, for one, was heavily influenced by Indian and Asian cultures. The riches of this empire set the ground for European development and cultural spread (Shaffer).

Works Cited

Far Outliers. "First Southernization, Then Westernization." 31 January 2004. Accessed 26 July 2009. http://faroutliers.blogspot.com/2004/01/first-southernization-then.html

Shaffer, Lynda. "Southernization." Journal of World History 5, Spring 1994, pp. 1-21.