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Seam settlers: Ghazi-Walid Falah, Samer Al-Nawaiseh, ‘The Geopolitics of Israel’s “Seam Zone” in the West Bank of Palestine’, The Arab World Geographer, 27, 1, 2024, pp. 1-20

20May24

Abstract: This paper discusses how Israel has intensified its settlement activities in areas immediately east of the 1949 Armistice Line/Green Line, seeking to carve out 13% of West Bank territory and add this to its pre-June 1967 sovereign space. In doing so, state planners have engineered the Separation Wall (SW), an 8-meter-high barrier in part and twice as long as the Green Line. This Wall is designed to ‘border and order’ territories that Israel desires to annex, declaring it as a Seam Zone (SZ), since it lies between the Separation Wall and the Green Line. Concomitant with these colonial activities, Israel has imposed a strict system of military control on Palestinian communities. While some such communities were conditionally left inside the SZ and are living in their localities upon presenting proof of permanent residency, many others were arbitrarily separated by the SW from their best fertile land and water resources. This unilateral step in settlement implementation aims to further Israel’s geopolitical strategy of creating ‘facts on the ground.’ The now imminent declaration of the SZ as Israeli sovereign space was backed up by Trump’s Deal of the Century (DoC) announced in January 2020. In 2024 the SZ remains an open question.


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Smokey Bear as a settler: Kirsten Vinyeta, J. M. Bacon, ‘Backfire: the settler-colonial logic and legacy of Smokey Bear’, Environmental Politics, 2024

20May24

Abstract: Since the 1940s, the United States Forest Service’s (USFS) national fire suppression efforts have been bolstered by a public-facing ad campaign led by the Ad Council, most notably through the iconic rise of Smokey Bear. The consequences of decades of strict fire suppression, promulgated and solidified by this highly successful campaign, have been ecologically disastrous, and especially detrimental for fire-dependent Indigenous communities and ecosystems. Scholars have examined the Smokey campaign’s racialized, nationalist discourse, yet none have grappled with the campaign’s settler colonial logic, itself replete with gendered exclusion and speciesism. In this article, we combine intersectional theoretical frameworks with settler colonial and Indigenous studies to carry out a systematic content analysis of 201 unique campaign documents. We demonstrate how the campaign’s production of the careful citizen – one rooted in mid-to-upper class, settler masculinity – hinges on interlocking narratives of Indigenous erasure, low-class criminality, and the helpless victimhood of women and more-than-human species.


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On decolonial linguistics: David Kroik, Kaisa Huuva, Tommaso Milani, ‘Settler Colonialism and Acts of Decoloniality’, in Robert Blackwood, Stefania Tufi, Will Amos (eds), The Bloomsbury Handbook of Linguistic Landscapes, Bloomsbury, 2024

20May24

Access the chapter here.


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Settler colonial grabs now: Christopher Bisson, The Long Grab: Dispossession in Southeastern Kitchi Sipi Valley, from Colonization to Financialization, PhD dissertation, University of Ottawa, 2024

20May24

Abstract: This thesis examines changes in the distribution of farmland in the southeast of the Kitchi Sipi (Ottawa) Valley between 2000 and 2017. It originally hypothesized that financialization would be the leading cause of a recent wave of farmland grabs in the area based on the findings of existing literature, which observed that financial investment companies are primarily responsible for the phenomenon (Gheller, 2018; Sommerville, 2018; Le Billon and Sommerville, 2017; Desmarais et al., 2015). The land distribution study conducted for this thesis suggests that the farmland grabbing that recently occurred in the study area was primarily led by existing large-scale corporate family farms. This is different from the land distribution study of Desmarais et al. (2015), which showed that financial investment firms were the dominant actors recently engaged in farmland grabbing in Saskatchewan. This suggests that there are a variety of different actors involved in the recent farmland grab phenomena in so-called Canada that have not been studied, which invites deeper theoretical consideration of the broader political-economic processes at play. The thesis therefore presents a “long grab” theoretical framework to explain how different kinds of settler-capitalist elites are able to command large holdings of farmland in a particular area. This thesis conducts case study and long-term historical materialist analysis of the development and evolution of farming and property rights in the study area to explain the absence of financial investment firms buying farmland. It identifies three key political-economic factors that limited farmland accumulation by investment companies: aggressive expansion of existing commercial farms, municipal land use policies aimed at limiting urban sprawl, and the impact of urban growth on local farmland values. This analysis demonstrates that long-standing land conflicts inherent to settler-capitalist development influences what kinds of political-economic elites engage in farmland grabbing in a particular area.


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Settler outposting: Lara Sheehi, ‘Intent to Harm: Settler Colonial Outposts in Psychoanalysis’, Middle East Critique, 2024

17May24

Abstract: This autoethnographic article unpacks a highly publicized, Zionist, and right-wing smear campaign. Rather than individualize this process, the article discusses this smear campaign to outline the mechanics of what are referred to as “settler colonial outposts” that extend the sovereignty of the Israeli settler state. The article maps out how settler colonial outposts are ideological formations and thus also spaces of convergence for fascists and liberal Zionists. Finally, it attends to the psychic and affective features of settler colonial outposts.


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Exceptionally exceptional? Tariq Dana ‘Notes on the ‘Exceptionalism’ of the Israeli Settler-Colonial Project, Middle East Critique, 2024

17May24

Abstract: Israel’s settler-colonial project stands as a peculiar instance of colonial domination in the modern era, distinguished by its ideological roots in Zionism, a potent blend of mythological narratives, militaristic nationalism, and expansionist aspirations. Unlike traditional colonial powers, Israel operates without a conventional metropole, instead leveraging strategic alliances with Western powers, particularly the United States, to sustain its colonial enterprise. The endurance of this project is inextricably linked to the subjugation and fragmentation of the Arab world, which serves as a wellspring of resistance against Israel’s colonial ambitions, as evidenced by the normalization of relations between Israel and various Arab regimes. Yet, Palestinian resistance has proven resilient and adaptive, persistently asserting its rights, identity, and connection to the land, while exposing the moral bankruptcy of Israel’s colonial dominance. To fully grasp the complexities of Palestine’s past, present, and future, it is imperative to employ a settler-colonial framework, which not only illuminates the specific dynamics at play but also sheds light on the broader implications for understanding and challenging similar structures of oppression worldwide.


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Palestine and Indigenous studies: Ilan Pappé, Tariq Dana, Nadia Naser–Najjab, ‘Palestine Studies, Knowledge Production, and the Struggle for Decolonisation’, Middle East Critique, 2024

17May24

Abstract: This article traces the evolution of Palestine Studies from its nascent stages in the 1960s to its current status as a recognized and integral part of global academic discourse. It highlights the field’s vital role in dissecting the multifaceted structures and functions of Israeli settler colonialism, and standing firm amidst well-funded and systematic counter-efforts to delegitimize it. The ensuing discussion foregrounds Palestinian scholarly achievements in advancing their narrative and countering marginalization, particularly within the academic institutions of the Global North. By examining the political dynamics shaping research methodologies in Palestine Studies, this article elucidates how the field has emerged as a legitimate academic discipline, offering new pathways in graduate education. In asserting that Palestine Studies is inherently linked to activism, aiming for transformative change, decolonization, and liberation, this article underlines the contribution of the field to challenging dominant colonial epistemologies and methodologies and reshaping power dynamics. Thus, Palestine Studies not only elucidates the realities faced by indigenous Palestinian populations but also vocalizes their struggles and aspirations, positioning itself as a critical lens to understand, and engage with, Palestinian scholarship and its broader anti-colonial implications.


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Stolen welfare: Leanne Weber, Sara Maher, Robyn Newitt, ‘Bordered welfare in Australia: Income management as a bordering technology of neoliberal and colonial governance’, Punishment & Society, 2024

17May24

Abstract: In this article we investigate the imposition of compulsory income management on racialised categories of welfare recipient in Australia, identify the contribution made by neoliberalism and settler colonialism in shaping that policy, and characterise income management as a form of ‘bordered welfare’. We begin by acknowledging that key features of neoliberal governance include an ideological aversion to the provision of welfare and the shifting of responsibility onto individuals to promote their own financial security and wellbeing. This has been accompanied by punitive approaches to welfare provision for those perceived to be deficient neoliberal citizens and a commitment to using financial levers, including the welfare system, to shape all manner of human behaviour. We trace the contours of the income management system and report the views of Aboriginal organisations and community leaders about their differential treatment as welfare recipients, noting that restrictions on financial autonomy are a well-documented form of surveillance and control historically directed towards Aboriginal Peoples in Australia. We conclude that this system operates as a form of bordered welfare that classifies certain categories of Aboriginal people as deficient citizens, subjecting them to differential, and detrimental, treatment driven by the ideologies and technologies of both neoliberalism and settler colonialism.


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Indigenous and French? Elliot Mur, ‘Indigenous Peoples in French Guiana: will France ever recognize their right to self-determination, land, territory, biodiversity and Free, Prior and Informed Consent?’ Student Journal for the Study of Human Rights, 1, 2024

17May24

Abstract: French Guiana, located in South America, hosts over 10,000 Indigenous Peoples, principally the Kali’na Tileuyu, Lokono and Pahikweneh, Wayãpi, Teko and Wayana people. Despite making up around 4% of the total population, Indigenous Peoples in French Guiana continue to face systematic challenges in being able to fully enjoy their human rights and rights as Indigenous Peoples. As an overseas territory of France, French Guiana falls under the governance of France and is fully integrated as an overseas department, separate from other overseas territories such as New Caledonia. This full integration has classified Indigenous Peoples as French People, making it not only difficult to get estimates of the actual number of Indigenous Peoples in French Guiana as the French Constitution prohibits ethnic statistics, but also prevent the ability of Indigenous Peoples to obtain their right to self-determination and control over their own land as provided in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Therefore, this paper will discuss the violations of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples committed by France that hinders their attainment to their fundamental freedoms and basic human rights. To do so, this paper will firstly begin by discussing the implementation of the UNDRIP in French Guiana in reference to several articles. In explaining the various articles, it will demonstrate how the French government’s recent actions continue to lead to the destruction of Indigenous territories and threaten their survival. Moreover, this paper will focus on articles 3, 10, 25, 29 which pertain to the right to self-determination, the right to land and territories, and the right to protect biodiversity. These rights alongside the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) should allow Indigenous Peoples to exercise control over decisions that essentially affect not only their way of life but also their existence, particularly considering the history of Indigenous Peoples that have frequently been the “first victims of development activities.”


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Artful settlers: Jacob Johnson, Taylor Mullins, ‘Knowledge between Romanticism and Reverence: German-American Perceptions of Native Americans through the Art of Friedrich Richard Petri’, Migrant Knowledge, 02/05/24

17May24

Excerpt: In 1847, John O. Meusebach was seeking to set up a peace treaty with the Native American tribe, the Penateka Comanches. Meusebach’s negotiation of a peace treaty with them was crucial to the success of the German settlement project in Texas, spearheaded by the Mainzer Adelsverein for which Meusebach served as a commissioner-general. Ultimately, the treaty sought to ensure the settlers’ safety and regulated trade relations between the two parties.1 However, entering Comanche territory was risky as one could not foresee how the Comanches would react to settlers crossing into their territory. Hence, Meusebach’s knowledge of and diplomatic skills with the Comanches were critical. He gained these from three sources, in particular: Meusebach’s predecessor as commissioner-general, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, the colonial director of Fredericksburg, Friedrich Armand Strubberg, and noted geologist Ferdinand Roemer, who was part of the expedition into native territory in early January 1847; all provided oral and written reports that contributed to Meusebach’s knowledge of these Native Americans.


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