Settler Colonialism pt2

 It was eye opening to realize that settler colonialism/ colonialism in general is not a single act, but a structure of being. This is concerning, because structures are much harder to dismantle than it is to fix the repercussions of a single act. Knowing this logic enables us to peer into the structure of our own society today, and discover the remnants of settler colonialism. When speaking about learning about settler colonialism, a friend, who moved here from India to go to Santa Clara informed me about the lasting effects of British colonialism in India. She told me about the past, how Indians were forced to fight in World War II on the front lines, being used as animals. She told me how the idea of white supremacy was so deeply ingrained into their society, it still permeates the mind of the elders today. For example, her grandmother prefers her out of all her grandchildren because she has the lightest colored skin. It is even more disconcerting that the British stay in India wasn’t eons ago. It was scarily recent. Britain left India in 1947. It has not even been 100 years since India was free from British oppression. She also told me how the animosity between India and Pakistan was created by the British. Instances like this show the immense effects that colonialism have on societies all over the world today. It honestly concerns me how so much of history is dominated by white oppressors. In conversing with my friend, we decided that white people started colonizing other places because of a lack of their own resources. Now, that is not to excuse the colonization, but rather to provide a differentiation as to why white people are historically the colonizers.

Comments

  1. Javier MartinezJanuary 24, 2022 at 11:36 AM

    It is sad to see the effects of white colonialism and the feeling of western superiority being carried even into day with situations such as the one that you described about your friend with her grandmother. As I've mentioned previously in the class, the same carries to places such as South America in which I lived, and is ingrained in society, particularly as a form of social status that trumps other factors, which is sad to see. It makes me wonder at what point if ever these sentiments will be able to be majorly eradicated, as it definitely seems to be a way of thinking that is still ingrained in old folks, but not so much in recent generations as we become more aware of the reasons and history behind these thoughts.

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  2. Michelle BJanuary 25, 2022 at 11:24 AM

    Thanks for sharing this story, which helps us to see how global these effects are, and how long-lasting.

    ReplyDelete

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