Final answer:
Historically, societies have used both natural and man-made barriers to protect themselves from outsiders, as well as creating closed societies like Tokugawa Japan and Ming and Qing China. These measures were taken to preserve cultures and protect against threats. Defense mechanisms included Great Walls, moats, and societal structures that either physically or socially restricted access to the community.
Step-by-step explanation:
Protecting Worlds from Outsiders
Throughout history, various civilizations and groups have taken measures to protect their worlds from outsiders. This was done to maintain autonomy, preserve cultural identity, and defend against potential threats. The means of protection have varied, including the construction of physical barriers such as Great Walls, natural barriers like mountains and rivers, and the establishment of closed societies that shunned external interactions, as with Tokugawa Japan and Ming and Qing dynasty China. Additionally, societies have occasionally veiled their identities or masked their true nature to ward off or mislead potential invaders or to protect the inner sanctum of their worlds from outside influence.
Historical Context of Isolation
During the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan, the country adopted a policy known as sakoku, limiting foreign trade and interactions to a few designated ports and strictly regulating it. Similarly, Ming and Qing dynasty China attempted to limit the effects of foreign influence by controlling trade and interactions. Both cultures sought to protect their traditional ways of life and to prevent the spread of foreign ideologies, but they were only partially successful in eliminating foreign influences due to imperatives like trade and technology.
Defensive Measures in Societies
In various cultures, the physical landscape was utilized to provide protection. Cliffs, mountains, rivers, and architectural structures such as castles with moats served as the first line of defense against invaders. Additionally, societal structures were implemented where either gender—be it men or women—were placed in restrictive roles as a form of societal control or protection, as implied in discussions about the zenana.