The Wall Street Journal against settler colonial studies (I am including it here because this is a repository, but if a critique of settler colonialism is called ‘settler colonial ideology’ then Marx is a capitalist): Adam Kirsch, On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice, WW Norton, 2024 | settler colonial studies blog

The Wall Street Journal against settler colonial studies (I am including it here because this is a repository, but if a critique of settler colonialism is called ‘settler colonial ideology’ then Marx is a capitalist): Adam Kirsch, On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice, WW Norton, 2024

18Aug24

Description: This short book is the first to examine settler colonialism critically for a general readership. By critiquing the most important writers, texts, and ideas in the field, Adam Kirsch shows how the concept emerged in the context of North American and Australian history and how it is being applied to Israel. He examines the sources of its appeal, which, he argues, are spiritual as much as political; how it works to delegitimize nations; and why it has the potential to turn indignation at past injustices into a source of new injustices today. A compact and accessible introduction, rich with historical detail, the book will speak to readers interested in the Middle East, American history, and today’s most urgent cultural-political debates.

An excerpt in the WSJ: The passions on campus are focused on the war in Gaza, with protesters accusing the U.S. (and in many cases their own universities) of complicity in what they call Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. But the charge resonates for many young people, especially the most dedicated activists, for reasons that go beyond the conflict that began with Hamas’s attack last Oct. 7. The ideological basis for the anti-Israel protests is a broader set of ideas about “settler colonialism,” an influential academic concept that understands certain countries as inherently and permanently illegitimate because of the way they were founded.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Closed