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.
Many things hurt about the settler colonialism discourse.
1- It confuses the individuals and groups with who power lies with it being welded well. Just because the king shares your ethnicity does not mean he will not abuse you.
2- It ignores the fact that people are not so mobile. And so- if one wants goodness, reconciliation and fixing relationships between groups is much more important than thinking "who's the bad guy here?" (not that justice has nothing to do with it, but rather that it's place is secondary to simply solving the conflict)
3- it pretends people are born with a right to a land in a weird collective fashion, and is just bizarre. The narrative is one that wants to freeze the world (or return) but completely ignoring history at the same time
My father loved history, and being Jewish, albeit an atheist who hated organized religion, still liked to read about the Jewish people. He was also a notorious iconoclast who liked to poke holes in bigotry and pomposity, meaning he was a wiseass with a formidable IQ and a wicked sense of humor.
When I was in high school in the 1960s, our family was invited to a formal dinner party to honor a visiting Catholic scholar who was going to speak at the temple we attended (haphazardly). My parents believed in supporting the community with charity and volunteer hours for many causes, including but not limited to the Jewish community. Great role models.
As the conversation flowed into discussing the Civil Rights movement, the topic of slavery came up and Jewish support for actions in Southern states. My parents despised racism, treated everyone with respect, and stood up for people of color, individually and regarding the institutions they worked in. However, I recognized a dangerous twinkle in my dad's eye, triggered by some of the self-righteous statements being made. If I could have, I would have ducked under the table. I am sure my mom felt the same.
Calmly, as if he was casually discussing the weather, he brought up the history of Jewish slaveholders and slave traders going back centuries. Pretty much as if he had thrown a lit stick of dynamite in the room. The other people at the table, mostly prominent Jewish businesspeople and leaders at the temple, sputtered and argued. Dad responded calmly, pointing out that for thousands of years slavery was part of the culture of many civilizations, a painful stain on humanity as a whole.
Our hosts quickly change the subject. The Catholic scholar took over the conversation to speak on his favorite topic - Communism. My dad, with a straight face, asked him if he was "for or against" communism. The scholar responded, "Oh, against." I had to stuff a napkin in my mouth to keep from laughing.
My mom, who had lived through some difficult times as a starving immigrant to this country used to say that suffering did not bestow special virtue and there should not be a competition regarding whose suffering is more worthy. Humans have been doing terrible things to each other from the beginning. And we have no power over the past although we would be foolish not to knowledge its impact today.
My opinion: let's be humble and steadfast regarding our own behavior and how we treat others today.
I found this essay to be particularly timely in light of some current geopolitical events 'in the news'.
It is interesting and perceptively insightful plus relevant details were well-substantiated. Thanks Max for sharing it with us readers. (On a lighter note, kudos and verbal SAT bonus points to the author for therein incorporating the word "polity". 👍😀
Many things hurt about the settler colonialism discourse.
1- It confuses the individuals and groups with who power lies with it being welded well. Just because the king shares your ethnicity does not mean he will not abuse you.
2- It ignores the fact that people are not so mobile. And so- if one wants goodness, reconciliation and fixing relationships between groups is much more important than thinking "who's the bad guy here?" (not that justice has nothing to do with it, but rather that it's place is secondary to simply solving the conflict)
3- it pretends people are born with a right to a land in a weird collective fashion, and is just bizarre. The narrative is one that wants to freeze the world (or return) but completely ignoring history at the same time
I think you forgot about the Muslim conquest of Spain in the 700s.
My father loved history, and being Jewish, albeit an atheist who hated organized religion, still liked to read about the Jewish people. He was also a notorious iconoclast who liked to poke holes in bigotry and pomposity, meaning he was a wiseass with a formidable IQ and a wicked sense of humor.
When I was in high school in the 1960s, our family was invited to a formal dinner party to honor a visiting Catholic scholar who was going to speak at the temple we attended (haphazardly). My parents believed in supporting the community with charity and volunteer hours for many causes, including but not limited to the Jewish community. Great role models.
As the conversation flowed into discussing the Civil Rights movement, the topic of slavery came up and Jewish support for actions in Southern states. My parents despised racism, treated everyone with respect, and stood up for people of color, individually and regarding the institutions they worked in. However, I recognized a dangerous twinkle in my dad's eye, triggered by some of the self-righteous statements being made. If I could have, I would have ducked under the table. I am sure my mom felt the same.
Calmly, as if he was casually discussing the weather, he brought up the history of Jewish slaveholders and slave traders going back centuries. Pretty much as if he had thrown a lit stick of dynamite in the room. The other people at the table, mostly prominent Jewish businesspeople and leaders at the temple, sputtered and argued. Dad responded calmly, pointing out that for thousands of years slavery was part of the culture of many civilizations, a painful stain on humanity as a whole.
Our hosts quickly change the subject. The Catholic scholar took over the conversation to speak on his favorite topic - Communism. My dad, with a straight face, asked him if he was "for or against" communism. The scholar responded, "Oh, against." I had to stuff a napkin in my mouth to keep from laughing.
My mom, who had lived through some difficult times as a starving immigrant to this country used to say that suffering did not bestow special virtue and there should not be a competition regarding whose suffering is more worthy. Humans have been doing terrible things to each other from the beginning. And we have no power over the past although we would be foolish not to knowledge its impact today.
My opinion: let's be humble and steadfast regarding our own behavior and how we treat others today.
I found this essay to be particularly timely in light of some current geopolitical events 'in the news'.
It is interesting and perceptively insightful plus relevant details were well-substantiated. Thanks Max for sharing it with us readers. (On a lighter note, kudos and verbal SAT bonus points to the author for therein incorporating the word "polity". 👍😀
This narrative is all about justifying violence against the people that the left wants humiliated, disenfranchised, destroyed...
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/the-fruits-of-the-revolution