settler colonial studies blog

The settler colonial conformity of non-conformism: Read Wheeler, The Albertlanders: The Making and Remaking of a New Zealand Provincial Immigration Scheme, PhD dissertation, Massey University, 2024

14Nov25

Abstract: This thesis examines immigrants who joined the Albertland Special Settlement Scheme, which was established in 1861 by the Auckland Provincial Government to bring a group of Christian non-conformists from Britain to the Kaipara. The scheme was one of several special settlements which provided the opportunity for religious or ethnic settlements to be established in New Zealand. They were an attempt by the provincial governments to boost migration to the colony and to settle outlying areas. Some of these have been previously studied, such as the Scottish settlement at Waipū and the Bohemian settlement at Pūhoi. These studies have focused on the correspondence and journals of the migrants to build a sense of these settlements and how their traditions changed or were abandoned. Other community research involved large demographic studies with observation focused on the development of the townships rather than the lives of those who stayed there. This study also focuses on the lives and experiences of the migrants, but it augments archival records with new digitally available resources, such as genealogical websites, to explore the long histories of these immigrants’ lives from their place of origin, until 1962, when descendants of the settlers assembled to celebrate a century since their arrival. The advent of the internet and the widespread digitisation of archives and secondary sources has provided unprecedented access to new primary sources and better ways of accessing and managing existing sources. This thesis draws on these new methodologies. The Albertland settlement has been assessed by general histories and dedicated works as a failure. This thesis argues while the northern Kaipara did not attract or retain the vast majority of the Albertland migrants, those who did settle were able to recreate something of the non-conformist communities they hoped for, despite the limitations of geography, poor agricultural potential and isolation. This was a major achievement. A good proportion of migrants who never even went to Albertland, or who stayed but briefly, also did well in the new colony through business ventures and community standing. The thesis explores several phases of the scheme’s history. The first stage, the making of the Albertland scheme, occurred though the joining of like-minded individuals prior to departure. In the second phase, the migrants faced the challenges of the voyage out and the dramatic difference between what was expected and the isolated, surveyed and difficult country they found on their arrival. Many chose not to go on. The hope of establishing a nonconformist community, the joining together of those with different religious beliefs, was shattered by the dispersal and fracturing of the scheme into separate communities, isolated from each other. Those remaining in or shifting to Auckland often did very well. Three thousand prospective settlers registered for the Albertland scheme, just over 2,500 of these voyaged to New Zealand. The Albertlanders came from more diverse backgrounds than previously thought and yet they began forming communal bonds as soon as their voyages to New Zealand began. However, from this group only 300 journeyed to the settlement and after five years only 150 remained. This represents only five percent of the prospective settlers. Nonetheless, strong non-conformist foundations were maintained, and community feeling was strengthened, not weakened, through responses to challenges such as land speculation, crime, and civil administration. Around 2,000 of the settlers remained in Auckland and influenced the development of the city and some even the colony. However, while separated from their compatriots on the Kaipara they were still referred to as the Auckland Albertlanders. Those who stayed on the Kaipara and those who remained in Auckland reunified the scheme in nostalgia, forging in memory the cohesion and stability that saw the settlers and their descendants maintain a common identity through anniversary celebrations and remembrances. Success had different meanings throughout Albertland’s history. For the founders of the scheme, success was the establishment of a large, independent, non-conformist settlement with a centralised leadership. For the original settlers, success meant remaining on the land and establishing a functional community. Those who left Albertland for elsewhere or had remained in Auckland found success meant establishing businesses and engraining themselves into the already established communities they moved to. The descendants of the Albertlanders found success in regaining a connection and reclaiming the vision of the founders, tempered through the hardship of those who settled on the land. Ignoring the extent to which the community had been dispersed across the Kaipara, and throughout the country.

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Homing in on settler colonialism: Federica Stagni, ‘Erasing the Past: Domicide and Settler Colonialism in Susiya and Sheikh Jarrah’, Middle East Critique, 2025

14Nov25

Abstract: This article explores the intersection of settler colonialism, neoliberalism, and forced displacement through the lens of ‘domicide’ in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). It focuses on two case studies: Susiya, a rural village in the South Hebron Hills; and Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem. The article argues that Israeli eviction and expulsion practices are not only rooted in a legal framework but also in a broader settler-colonial practice that involves both territorial and cultural dispossession/appropriation. These processes manifest in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in home demolitions, village destruction, settlement expansion, and forced evictions. Through fieldwork conducted over five periods from 2016 to 2024, including interviews with residents, activists, and organizations, as well as participant observation at protests and demonstrations, the study examines how these policies are shaped by capitalist interests, such as tourism-driven gentrification in Jerusalem and land commodification in the West Bank. In this way, settler colonialism is intertwined with neoliberal forces that further Palestinian dispossession. The article examines how Israel practices ‘domicide’—destroying both Palestinian homes and the historical memories they contain, which are central to Palestinian identity. The article situates these dynamics within the framework of ‘domicide’, highlighting the destruction not only of homes but also of historical memory linked to houses as an expression of Palestinian identity.

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Settler colonial peer review: Charlotte Ann Legg, Briony Neilson, ‘Settler Colonial Dynamics Across the Coral Sea: Australia and the Contours of French Settlement in New Caledonia’, The Journal of Pacific History, 2025

14Nov25

Abstract: In 1903, settlers in Nouméa celebrated the 50th anniversary of the French annexation of New Caledonia. They welcomed an Australian delegation – the first to represent the Commonwealth overseas since Australia’s federation in 1901, and the introduction of the racially exclusionary White Australia policy. This article traces the circulation of ideas about settler self-government across the Coral Sea in the wake of federation, examining the ways in which the political, economic, and racial aspirations of settlers in the French colony were shaped by their observation of developments in Australia. We argue that attempts to adapt Australian models to New Caledonian realities ultimately affirmed affinities between settlers across the Coral Sea, strengthening transimperial forms of whiteness.

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Settler transformations: Joseph Kaplan Weinger, ‘”One Is a Frontier”: Settler Migration as Transmogrification’, Sociological Forum, 2025

12Nov25

Abstract: This paper explores the trajectories and framing strategies of American Jewish migrants to Palestine–Israel. Drawing on original in-depth interviews with immigrants who migrated between 1976 and 2021, alongside interviews with and observations of an “aliyah” agency, it examines meaning-making around spatial relocation in relation to the perpetuation of institutionalized stratification and the violence of colonial settlement. Central to this analysis is the concept of transmogrification, which describes the profound affective transformations migrants undergo as they transition from diasporic subjects to settlers embedded in a project of demographic and territorial supremacy. Through an exploration of three key framing strategies persisting nationalization, majoritarian affiliation, and enduring frontierity—this paper investigates how immigrants navigate the material and symbolic landscapes of Israeli society and come to justify their roles within it. By focusing on the cognitive mechanism of framing, the research contributes to broader conversations about the reproduction of structural status positions, the politics of belonging, and the sui generis characteristics of contentious migration.

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Forced (nope: still forced): Ghassan Elkahlout, ‘Settler colonialism and the rhetoric of voluntary migration in Gaza’, Third World Quarterly, 2025

09Nov25

Abstract: This article examines the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as a core mechanism within Israel’s settler-colonial strategy. Drawing on historical analysis, international legal instruments and original qualitative research, the study analyses how Israeli policies employ military force, structural deprivation, and legal manipulation to facilitate Palestinian expulsion, presented under the rhetoric of voluntary migration. By tracing the evolution of displacement from the early Zionist movement to the current genocide (This paper uses ‘genocide’ for the current Israeli assault on Gaza and ‘Naksa’ (Arabic for catastrophe/setback) for the six-day war in 1967, reflecting their systemic nature.) in Gaza, the article highlights the enduring logic of elimination embedded within settler-colonial practices aimed at erasing Palestinian presence while deflecting legal accountability. The study also engages comparative insights from other cases where displacement and demographic restructuring have been used to consolidate political control, including the experiences of Indigenous communities in North America, South Africa’s apartheid regime, and territorial fragmentation in Northern Ireland. In addition to archival and legal sources, the analysis incorporates first-hand testimonies drawn from 82 interviews with Palestinian families evacuated to Qatar since October 2023. These findings contest prevailing narratives of voluntary migration and underscore the urgency of addressing displacement as part of a broader system of structural violence and settler-colonial domination.

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Digital settlers: Nikolaos Iason Koufodontis, Eleni Gaki, ‘Digital nomads or digital settlers? Rethinking regional development in the information age’, Geoforum, 167, 2025, #104466

09Nov25

Abstract: Digital labor mobility is reshaping regional economies and challenging established models of migration and spatial development. This study examines how digital nomads transition into long-term digital settlers and what regional conditions support or inhibit that process. Drawing on Network Migration Theory and Lifestyle Migration Theory, a four-stage model of digital migration is developed based on duration of stay and regional embeddedness. The model is tested through an empirical case study of Greece using survey data, spatial analysis, and three-dimensional modeling. Findings indicate that while affordability and digital infrastructure are prioritized by short-term visitors, longer-term settlers consistently rank healthcare, municipal services, local safety, and geopolitical stability as critical conditions. Preferences shift systematically across the settlement continuum, with demographic factors such as gender and income further moderating settlement tolerances. The analysis, supported by 3D modeling reveals non-linear thresholds in perceived acceptability, especially for essential services. Importantly, digital settlement does not necessarily imply full-time relocation. Many digital settlers maintain a stable regional base while continuing to travel periodically and may eventually retire to these embedded locations. By linking digital migration to human capital dynamics, regional resilience, and spatial policy design, the study contributes to ongoing debates in economic geography and migration studies. Implications are discussed in relation to evolving EU and OECD frameworks for attracting mobile knowledge workers.

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Settling/researching: Vicki Chartrand, ‘Settler Research in Indigenous Country’, Qualitative Inquiry, 2025

09Nov25

Abstract: Settler research in Indigenous country continues to emerge as problematic scholarship, often complicit in an invasive and extractive knowledge production. Drawing on the Unearthing Justices project—a collaborative research initiative that shares and showcases Indigenous-led initiatives for the MMIWG2S communities—this article examines the ontological and methodological possibilities for settler research. Foregrounding a practice of witnessing that is relational, embodied, and land-based, the article proposes this approach as a generative intervention into conventional settler research. While acknowledging the inherent tensions and incommensurability of settler presence, this article argues that settler research cannot stand outside colonial systems; instead, it must be reshaped through accountable collaborations that advance Indigenous intellectual sovereignty and community-defined justice. Rather than offer a prescriptive methodology, it invites researchers to stay with the complexities, contradictions, and responsibilities of research in Indigenous country.

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Service as survivance: Marie-Lys Jane Chambraud Thwaites, Warriors and Healers of the Eastern Band of Cherokee: Peoplehood, Survivance, and Military Service in World War I (1917-1924)’, PhD dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic, 2025

09Nov25

Abstract: My research examines the contributions of the Eastern Band of Cherokee warriors during World War I, emphasizing Indigenous agency, cultural survival, and community within a settlercolonial framework. It explores how these warriors navigated military service as both an assertion of sovereignty and a means of survival, using their enlistment to resist colonial erasure while maintaining their cultural identity. Through the application of the Peoplehood model and the concept of survivance, this study analyzes the interconnected roles of land, language, sacred history, and ceremonial practices in sustaining Cherokee identity. Furthermore, this study incorporates an Indigenous feminist perspective to emphasize the role of Eastern Cherokee women in maintaining the resilience of Cherokee communities and supporting the healing of warriors. The women served during the war as nurses, officers and occupied a generally white and male centered environment. After the war, some former warriors and women participated in political actions to improve the lives of indigenous peoples. They also had to learn to reintegrate themselves in their community and society after such deep traumas; and for that they used their traditional healing practices and traditional stories. By combining archival research, oral histories, and an analysis of military service, my work contributes to ongoing discussions of Native sovereignty, military service, and the legacies of Indigenous resilience before, during, and after World War I. It underscores the enduring importance of Indigenous storytelling, archives, and collective memory in documenting the survival and revitalization of Cherokee culture in the face of historical violence and cultural suppression.

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High altitude settler colonialism? Ting Hui Lau, Decolonial Endurance: Lisu Worldmaking against Chinese Settler Colonialism, Stanford University Press, 2026

08Nov25

Description: What does it mean to live through a world coming undone? How do people carry on amid rupture, loss, and grief? Decolonial Endurance explores these questions through the turbulent lives of Indigenous Lisu subsistence farmers in China’s Eastern Himalayas, bordering Myanmar and Tibet. Like many of China’s Indigenous borderlands, this mountainous region has long borne the force of encroaching Chinese state power. Since the 1980s, the Chinese state has been compelling the Lisu to give up their subsistence lifeways, move into urban settlements, and send their children to government boarding schools. In exchange for the so-called gifts of development—healthcare, income, and education—they suffer environmental and social catastrophes such as mass landslides, strange new illnesses, and toxic food. Drawing on over a decade of engagement with the Lisu, Ting Hui Lau takes readers into the world of ex-shamans, heart-pained mothers, restless spirits, and demon-mad migrants as they grapple with the fallout from state development, which Lau argues is the latest phase in a centuries-long project of settler colonialism along China’s Southwest frontier. At once a portrayal of loss and an ethnography of hope, Lau chronicles Lisu worldmaking amid this destruction, centering their quiet resistance through everyday acts of communal caretaking. In a time of escalating geopolitical and ecological crisis, this book calls for a new decolonial politics rooted in the transformative power of endurance.

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Settler colonialism for sport: Derek Silva, Nathan Kalman-Lamb, Chen Chen, Kristi Allain, Jason Laurendeau, Janelle Joseph, Daniel Sailofsky, Shrehan Lynch, Anthony Weems, Leyla Hamed, Priyansh, Adam Ali , Roc Rochon, Zuleikha Chikh, Charlotte Phillips, Jules Boykoff, R. Taha, Jess Nachman, Zeana Hamdonah, Thomas Ross Griffin, Anima Adjepong, Jeffrey Montez de Oca, ‘Settler Colonialism–Genocide–Athleticide: The Destruction of Sport in Occupied Palestine’, Sociology of Sport Journal, 2025

08Nov25

Abstract: In this paper, our scholarly collective traces how athleticide—defined here as the obliteration of sport, sporting cultures, and athletics through the killing, arrest, detention, or disabling of athletes, coaches, staff, officials, and administrators and the destruction of athletic infrastructure and history—has been part of the US–NATO-funded Israeli state’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. Although much of the literature focuses on the philosophical, ethical, and political foundations of events that are conventionally described as “genocide,” little scholarly attention has been paid to genocide in the disparate fields that make up sports studies. Even less attention has been paid to the role that sport, sporting cultures, and athletics may, or may not, play in genocide and genocidal campaigns. To address this gap, we advocate for the development of a sociology of athleticide as one possible point of departure for advancing sports studies’ understanding of the role that sport can, and often does, play in times of genocide and the impact of state violence on sport.

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