Final answer:
Robert Blauner's internal-colonialism theory applies to post-colonial societies, highlighting how colonial legacies persist through economic and cultural domination. It emphasizes the structural consequences on indigenous populations and the continuing disparity through neocolonial practices.
Step-by-step explanation:
Robert Blauner's internal-colonialism theory could be applied to post-colonial societies and the sociopolitical dynamics within nations that have experienced colonial subjugation. His theory speaks to the patterns of inequality and poverty that persist as a legacy of colonialism. Internal-colonialism examines how colonial structures remain embedded in modern-day societies through continued economic exploitation, social stratification, and the imposition of cultural hegemony. Blauner's ideas resonate particularly with the way European colonial powers established an extractive and exploitative system during the late European colonialism period, enforcing an authoritarian state apparatus and preventing the rise of a local wealthy capitalist class.
Furthermore, Blauner's theory echoes the insights of cultural anthropologists who challenged European ethnocentric stereotypes and the so-called "White man's burden". It highlights how colonial powers labeled non-Europeans as backward to justify exploitative practices like the slave trade and plantation system. Through internal-colonialism, the enduring effects of these historical practices can be seen in the structural and cultural damage to indigenous populations, revealing a critical area of study for understanding social movements, postcolonial states, and the modern development trajectory.
In more current times, neocolonialism persists as another dimension where former colonial powers and now multinational corporations continue to influence formerly colonized nations through economic, political, or military means, maintaining the wealth disparity between the developed and developing world as noted by critics like Rosemary Hollis.