This podcast explores the erasure of indigeneity and the colonialist foundations of conservationism. It discusses the role of media in perpetuating the myth of barren land and indigenous erasure. The podcast also delves into language and tactics in gentrification. Additionally, it unpacks Terra Nullius and its role in colonialism, and explores the justification of indigenous removal. Lastly, the podcast focuses on the creation of 'blight' and 'barrenness' to erase indigenous peoples.
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Quick takeaways
The myth of barrenness and emptiness was perpetuated through media to justify the colonization and genocide of indigenous peoples.
Media portrayed marginalized neighborhoods as blighted and in need of development, justifying their displacement and gentrification.
Legal frameworks like terra nullius legitimized settler colonization and the conquest of land, erasing indigenous ownership.
Deep dives
The myth of barrenness and untamed land entices settlers and justifies colonization
The myth of North American land being largely barren and empty prior to European settlements was perpetuated through various media, including newspapers, popular fiction, and early films. This myth served as a marketing device to entice settlers by presenting the land as underexploited and ripe for development. It also provided a moral justification for the violent colonization and genocide of indigenous peoples. The legal fiction of Terra Nullius, which defined the land as unoccupied and devoid of civilization, played a crucial role in facilitating the settler colonial project. This myth of emptiness and wilderness continues to shape popular notions of the American West and other colonized regions, perpetuating the erasure of indigeneity and the justification of land grabs.
The role of media in perpetuating the myth of emptiness and blight
Newspapers, popular fiction, and other media played a significant role in perpetuating the myth of emptiness and blight in relation to native lands and marginalized neighborhoods. These media outlets depicted the land as barren, desolate, and in need of development, thereby justifying the displacement of indigenous peoples and the gentrification of marginalized communities. Through imagery and narratives, media portrayed these places as undesirable and in need of intervention by capitalists and developers. The language of blight and the portrayal of poverty as a law of nature further dehumanized the residents, facilitating their removal for profit-driven projects.
The legal framework and policies that legitimize colonization and extraction
Various laws and policies have been employed to legitimize colonization and extraction. Legal frameworks such as the organic act of 1916 and the Wilderness Act of 1964 have provided the veneer of legality for the conquering and colonization of land and its inhabitants. These laws, rooted in settler colonial ideologies, have perpetuated the notion of terra nullius, asserting that the land was unoccupied and available for settlers to exploit. By establishing these legal justifications, the settler states justify their actions and assert their sovereignty, further solidifying their claims to the land.
Continued relevance and the need to challenge colonial narratives
The myths of barrenness, emptiness, and blight continue to impact indigenous communities and marginalized neighborhoods today. It is crucial to challenge these colonial narratives and recognize the ongoing violence and dispossession they entail. By understanding the historical origins of these myths and their perpetuation through media and legal frameworks, it becomes possible to envision a future that respects indigenous sovereignty and prioritizes justice. Building a more equitable society requires confronting and dismantling the colonial narratives that have justified exploitation and erasure for centuries.
The Relationship between Land Ownership and Indigenous People
The podcast episode explores the historical relationship between land ownership and indigenous people in the United States. It discusses how doctrines like terranoulius, the right of conquest, and the doctrine of discovery have been used to deny indigenous peoples' right to own land based on their supposed lack of a Christian relationship with God. This led to the categorization of indigenous people as pagans or children with only a right of occupancy rather than ownership. The episode highlights the influence of these doctrines in shaping federal Indian policy and their impact on indigenous communities worldwide.
The Link Between Development, Capitalism, and Indigenous Dispossession
The podcast also delves into the connection between development, capitalism, and the dispossession of indigenous peoples' land. It explores how the concept of development, tied to capitalist and extractivist ideologies, has been used to marginalize indigenous communities. By criminalizing their non-settler relationship to land and depicting them as insufficiently productive, indigenous peoples are dehumanized and their rights to land and sovereignty are undermined. This discourse of development has become a tool for settler colonial states to legitimize indigenous dispossession and establish hierarchies of race, gender, and power. The episode emphasizes the need to challenge and rethink these harmful narratives.
"It is safe to say that almost no city needs to tolerate slums," wrote New York City official Robert Moses in 1945. "Our ancestors came across the ocean in sailing ships you wouldn't go across a lake in. When they arrived, there was nothing here," Ross Perot proclaimed in 1996. "We proved we can create a budding garden out of obstinate ground," beamed Israeli president Shimon Peres in 2011. These quotes recurring themes within the lore of settler-colonial states: Before settlers arrived in the United States, Israel, and other colonized places throughout the world, the land was barren, wild, and blighted, the people backward, untameable, and violent; nothing of societal importance existed. It was only when the monied industrialists and developers moved in, introducing their capital and their vision, that civilization began. This, of course, is false. Indigenous people inhabited North America long before Europeans did. Poor, often Black and Latino, people populate many neighborhoods targeted for gentrification. So how do these people–inhabitants of coveted places who prove inconvenient to capital–become erased from collective memory? And what role do media like newspapers, brochures, travel dispatches, and adventure books play in their erasure? In a previous Citations Needed episode (Ep. 155: How the American Settler-Colonial Project Shaped Popular Notions of ‘Conservation’), we discussed the erasure of indigeneity, we explored the colonialist and racist foundations of conservationism in the US and elsewhere in the West. On this episode, follow-up to that episode, we explore how images and narratives of barrenness and blight are manufactured to justify the settler-colonial project, from 15th Century colonial subjects of Europe to urban neighborhoods of today. Our guest is scholar Stephanie Lumsden.
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