Olaudah Equiano Imperialism

At first glace one would assume that Olaudah Equiano, author of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, an 18th century autobiography of a former slave, and Aphra Behn, a devout royalist and author of Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave, a 17th century novel, would have opposing views regarding slavery and imperialism. This is not so, in fact, both texts condemn slavery, and by default imperialism. Imperialism, as defined by the scholar James Tully is a theory that “…ranks all non-European cultures as “inferior” or “lower”…” (Tully, 27). Equiano and Behn criticize imperialism by constantly contrasting the idyllic Native and African societies with the immoral European society. Through this contrast they undermine the central tenet …show more content…
By dismantling this notion they help reveal slavery and imperialism as unjustifiable systems of oppression.
The innocent and civilized ways that both Equiano and Behn portray the Natives and Africans undermines the idea that non-Europeans are savages. As previously stated, the assumption of the inferiority of other cultures helped justify imperialism and slavery. Yet neither text indicates any savagery in the non-European cultures depicted. It is actually quite the opposite. Take for example this quote from Oroonoko, “…these people represented…an absolute idea of the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin” (Behn, 2172). This exerpt makes clear that the natives are not the rough and uncivilized barbarians that the Eurocentric viewpoint of the era would have one believe. Rather, they are innocent and pure. Behn uses the phrase “first stage of innocence” very …show more content…
Again, as previously stated, the assumed moral inferiority of non-Europeans is one of the main ways European imperialism was justified. But Equiano and Behn did not just validate the Native’s and African’s morality; they also discredited the European’s morality. They did this in order to be perfectly clear. By throwing the European’s flaws into stark contrast with the Natives and Africans apparent lack thereof, Equiano and Behn are saying yet again and more strongly that the Europeans are not intrinsically superior to any other culture. As mentioned in Oroonoko, “…ill morals are only practiced in Christian countries, where they prefer the bare name of religion, and, without virtue or morality, think that’s sufficient” (Behn, 2176). Behn is saying that Europeans hide behind a guise of moral superiority which they do not bother to uphold through their actions. In the end that is all it is, a guise, and it is a guise used to justify some very unchristian practices, like slavery. In Equiano the same viewpoint is espoused, “[o], ye nominal Christians! might not an African ask you, learned you this from your God, who says unto you, Do unto all men as you would men should do unto you?” (Equiano, 2817). Here again the moral fabric of the Europeans comes under fire, as they appear to be Christians only in name and not practice. The eloquence with which the African speaks is

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