The Incoherence of 'Settler Colonialism'

To the children of postcolonial studies, colonialism became not so much an avenue of anthropological inquiry in a complicated world. It became a targeted accusation against certain groups.

Frantz Fanon

It’s almost as stupid as saying only white people can be racist. Social justice fundamentalists are fond of simple binaries such as Oppressor/Oppressed. When I say binaries, I mean either black or white, day or night—but never grey or twilight. It’s not just the starkness of the polarity that so often fails. To apply binary thinking frequently results in inconsistency, if not incoherence.

One particularly poignant example is settler colonialism.

Usage of the term emerged through various academic discussions during the neo-Marxist and critical theorists’ long march through the institutions, evolving under the broader rubric of ‘postcolonial studies.’ This racially tinged discipline has a distinct bias. That is, white settler colonialism is evil and deserves total condemnation. Brown colonial-settler—la la la la la (fingers in ears). Colonialism became not so much an avenue of anthropological inquiry in a complicated world. It became a targeted accusation against certain groups.

But first, allow me to take a stab at defining the term as if I were a scholar of postcolonial studies:

Colonialism constitutes a multifaceted system of domination characterized by asymmetrical power relations wherein one polity exercises sovereignty over territories and peoples beyond its original borders. While often reduced to mere territorial acquisition, colonialism fundamentally operates as an epistemic, ontological, and material structure reorganizing social worlds through interconnected economic extraction, political subjugation, cultural imposition, and knowledge production.

For those who wield such accusations, the world is a place of Manichaean clarity: White colonialism is bad; ignore brown colonialism. Franz Fanon, avatar of Algerian Independence, not only thought about French occupation in these black-and-white terms, but he also thought the decolonization of Algeria—or any place occupied by Europeans—would have to be violent. Fanon became the patron saint of violent decolonization among those working in the academy. Once every freshman had read Wretched of the Earth, it was easy to cheer on October 7th.

The Amazigh Oversight

The Amazigh people of Algeria (also known as Berbers) have inhabited North Africa for millennia, centuries before the Arabs’ arrival. Arab expansion into North Africa occurred primarily during the 7th and 8th centuries AD, beginning with the conquest of Egypt in 639-642 AD and extending westward across what’s now Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco by the early 8th century.

The Amazigh are not a homogeneous group but comprise various tribal confederations and cultural groups across Algeria and neighboring countries, including the Kabyles, Chaoui, Mozabites, Tuareg, and others.

They were colonized.

Algeria's demographic and cultural landscape significantly transformed beginning in the 7th century with Arab conquests and the spread of Islam, resulting in a complex process of Arabization and Islamization, which became most pronounced in the 11th century and continued to the present.

But let’s be clear: Islamic Arabs were settler colonizers, too. The French were late to the party. Yet there’s nary a peep from Fanon or his adorers about that fact.

Muslim Expansionism

I asked AI to help me out with major Muslim colonialism, and this is the result.

12th-13th centuries: Ghurid Empire's invasion of Northern India, establishing Muslim rule that later evolved into the Delhi Sultanate

13th century: Mamluk Sultanate's expansion from Egypt into the Levant and parts of the Arabian Peninsula

13th-15th centuries: Various Turkic Muslim dynasties (Khilji, Tughlaq, etc.) expanded the Delhi Sultanate deeper into the Indian subcontinent

14th-15th centuries: Expansion of the Muslim kingdom of Malacca in Southeast Asia, controlling key maritime trade routes

15th-16th centuries: Ottoman Empire's significant expansionary period:

—Conquest of Constantinople/Byzantine Empire (1453)
—Expansion into Eastern Europe (Balkans, Hungary)
—Conquest of Mamluk Egypt and the Levant (1516-1517)
—Expansion across North Africa to Morocco's borders
—Campaigns into Central Europe and the Mediterranean

16th century: Crimean Khanate's raids into Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, Ukraine, and Poland

16th-17th centuries: Mughal Empire's expansion across the Indian subcontinent under Babur, Akbar, and Aurangzeb

16th-19th centuries: Expansion of various Muslim sultanates in Indonesia and the Philippines

18th-19th centuries: Sokoto Caliphate's jihad and state formation across parts of West Africa

18th-19th centuries: Expansion of the Fulani Jihad states across Western and Central Africa

19th century: Mahdist State's establishment in Sudan through revolt against Egyptian rule

This list encompasses a variety of Muslim-led military expansions, recognizing that they represent diverse ethnic groups (Arab, Turkish, Persian, Malay, African, etc.) and different Islamic traditions across various historical contexts.

Aside from the histories of brutality and occupation these represent, one key piece of information is consistently omitted: These colonizers are almost all brown.

I’ll pass over the now common-but-necessary point that so many of the above groups raided and enslaved millions of Europeans and occupied lands that included the Levant and Europe. I say this not to stick up for any group or to fall into a race trap, merely to explain that the world is and has always been messed up. Colonialism was always an equal opportunity domination enterprise carried out by people of all colors.

That it happens to this day doesn’t make it right, but we must acknowledge that it happens.

Incoherence Today

If we were to apply the Europeans and Zionists are colonizers trope currently fashionable among college-age children, we would have to interpret that roughly as white=Oppressor and brown=Oppressed, for it to make much sense. Yes, I know. There are a lot of brown people in America, Europe, and Israel. But according to the Children of Fanon, white colonizers deserve unique emphasis. Otherwise, one might have to acknowledge some uncomfortable facts.

First, indigenous populations control only about 20 percent of the world’s habitable land. The rest of us—80 percent—are descendants of colonizers.

Contemporary Colonizers

Sudan Civil War (2023–present). The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by external actors, are engaged in ethnic cleansing in West Darfur, targeting non-Arab groups like the Masalit. The RSF controls large swathes of Darfur, imposing rule through violence, mass killings, and sexual violence, displacing over 13 million people.

Myanmar Civil War (2021–present). Following the 2021 military coup, Myanmar’s junta and allied forces control territory through violent suppression, displacing ethnic minorities like the Rohingya, Karen, and Shan. The junta imposes strict rule, targeting civilians to enforce compliance. Over 3 million are displaced.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – M23 Rebellion (2022–present). The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls parts of eastern DRC, particularly North Kivu, displacing over 1 million people. M23 imposes governance in occupied areas, targeting ethnic groups like the Hema and Tutsi, with accusations of ethnic cleansing through killings and forced displacement.

Azerbaijan-Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict (2020–2023, ongoing effects). Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to the ethnic cleansing of approximately 100,000 Armenians, who fled en masse. Azerbaijan now controls the region, imposing its government and altering cultural sites, erasing Armenian heritage.

Syria Civil War (2011–present). Since December 2024, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group, has seized control of much of Syria, including Damascus, following the collapse of the Assad regime. HTS imposes strict Islamist governance, enforcing Sharia law and targeting minorities like Alawites, Christians, and Druze. Accusations of ethnic cleansing arise from reports of massacres and forced displacements in minority regions.

Sahel Conflict (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, 2012–present). Jihadist groups like JNIM (al-Qaeda-affiliated) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara control significant territories in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, imposing extremist rule. They enforce strict Islamic codes, targeting ethnic groups like the Fulani and Songhai through violence, with over 2.7 million displaced across the region.

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