Quillette Podcast The Campaign Against 'Settler Colonialism’
Nov 13, 2024
Adam Kirsch, a Wall Street Journal editor and author of "On Settler Colonialism," dives into the troubling trends of radicalized academics labeling Western nations, especially Israel, as 'settler colonialist.' He discusses how this ideology shapes perceptions of identity and moral obligations tied to indigenous histories. Kirsch critiques the superficiality of land acknowledgements and explores the complexities of decolonization efforts, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of systemic inequities and the historical context of these narratives.
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Settler vs. Indigenous
- Settler colonialism theory defines individuals as either settlers or indigenous based on ancestry, not personal actions.
- Acknowledging settler status becomes a moral gesture, similar to confessing sin in some religions.
Religious Parallels
- The settler colonialist ideology shares similarities with Protestant Christianity, especially its emphasis on introspection and atonement.
- The ideology is most prevalent in Protestant Anglophone countries like the US, Canada, and Australia.
Symbolic Rituals
- The settler colonialist movement, while not a mass movement, gains influence through elite adoption and social pressure.
- Land acknowledgments, like pronoun declarations, function as symbolic rituals affirming the illegitimacy of existing civilizations.
