Settler colonialism

Home > Ethnic and Cultural Studies > Colonialism > Settler colonialism

In this type of colonialism, people from the colonizing country migrate to the colony and establish permanent settlements, displacing and subjugating the indigenous populations.

Definition of colonialism: Understanding the definition of colonialism is the first step in understanding settler colonialism. It refers to the policy of a state or a nation seeking to extend or retain its authority over other countries or territories.
Settler colonialism: Settler colonialism is a specific form of colonialism where settlers come and take over the land and resources of the indigenous people to create a new society.
Indigenous people: Indigenous people are the original inhabitants of a particular land, who have lived there for centuries before the arrival of settlers.
Land and resources: Land and resources are crucial to the success of settler colonialism, as it allows settlers to build a new society on the resources they extract from the land.
Power dynamics: Power dynamics are central to understanding settler colonialism, as settlers have power over the indigenous people, and use this power to control the land and resources.
Historical context: Understanding the historical context of settler colonialism is important to understand how it came to be and how it has evolved over time.
Colonialism and capitalism: There is a strong connection between settler colonialism and capitalism, as settlers seek to extract resources from the land for profit.
Resistance and decolonization: Indigenous people have resisted settler colonialism from the moment it began, and decolonization movements seek to reverse the damage done by settler colonialism.
Colonialism and the environment: Environmental destruction is often a result of settler colonialism, as settlers extract resources without concern for the health of the land or the indigenous people.
The impact of colonialism today: The impact of settler colonialism is still felt today, as indigenous people continue to struggle for their rights and to reclaim their land and resources.
"Settler colonialism is a type of colonialism in which foreign settlers immigrate and permanently reside on land already inhabited by Indigenous residents."
"Settler colonialism causes the replacement or reduction of existing peoples and cultures; some, but not all, scholars describe the process as inherently genocidal."
"It may be enacted by a variety of means, ranging from violent depopulation of the previous inhabitants to less deadly means, such as assimilation or recognition of Indigenous identity within a colonial framework."
"It is based on exogenous domination, typically organized or supported by an imperial authority."
"Settler colonialism contrasts with exploitation colonialism, which entails an economic policy of conquering territory to exploit its population as cheap or free labor and its natural resources as raw material."
"Settler colonialism lasts indefinitely, except in the rare event of complete evacuation or settler decolonization."
"During the 1960s, settlement and colonization were perceived as separate phenomena from colonialism. Settlement endeavors were seen as taking place in empty areas, downplaying the Indigenous inhabitants."
"Later on in the 1970s and 1980s, settler colonialism was seen as bringing high living standards in contrast to the failed political systems associated with classical colonialism."
"Beginning in the mid-1990s, the field of settler colonial studies was established, distinct but connected to Indigenous studies."
"Patrick Wolfe theorized settler colonialism as a structure (rather than an event) premised on the elimination rather than exploitation of the native population."
"Wolfe also argued that settler colonialism was centered on the control of land and that it continued after the closing of the frontier."
"Settler colonial studies has often focused on former British colonies in North America, Australia and New Zealand, which are close to the complete, prototypical form of settler colonialism."
"His approach was defining for the field, but has been challenged by other scholars on the basis that many situations involve a combination of elimination and exploitation."
"Political theorist Mahmoud Mamdani suggested that settlers could never succeed in their effort to become native, and therefore the only way to end settler colonialism was to erase the political significance of the settler–native dichotomy."
"Briefly”
This quote suggests that during the 1960s, the perception of settlement and colonization involved downplaying or disregarding the Indigenous inhabitants living in those areas.