settler colonial studies blog

Other settlers? Magdalena Müllerova, ‘Settling the Imagined West: Victor LaValle’s Lone Women, Black Women, and the Revision of The Frontier Myth’, MELUS, 2025, #mlaf032

18Aug25

Excerpt: White frontier heroism was defined through opposition to racial and cultural otherness throughout the process of settlement. Kyle T. Mays establishes that “the foundations of the United States, its current power and wealth, were built on enslaved African labor and the expropriation of Indigenous land” (19). This position raises the question of how to reconcile reading Black and Native American people as heroes of a myth based on a settler colonialism that victimized both.

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Delegitimising settler colonialism from below? Michael Elliott, ‘Délégitimer le colonialisme d’établissement’, in G. Motard, G. Nootens (eds), Souverainetés et autodéterminations autochtones: Tïayoriho’ten’, Presses de l’Université Laval, 2022, pp. 101-28

16Aug25

Abstract: Does decolonisation in the contemporary liberal settler colony depend on the delegitimation of the prevailing political order? If, politically, decolonisation requires more than Indigenous autonomy within the context of a sovereign settler state, other associated rights and statuses, recognition of historical injustice, and programmes to address continuing inequality — which is to say, if it cannot be realised through existing or improved policies of liberal democratic government but requires a more fundamental form of political transformation — then there is reason to think that it does. It is through legitimacy that political orders are able to foster popular acceptance of their institutional form, legal authority, and right to use force, and so ensure their continual reproduction on micro and macro scales. It follows, then, that in the absence of realistic possibilities of forced regime change, legitimacy represents an essential ground for decolonising struggle. But what does it really mean for a political order to be delegitimated? What is involved in such a process? And how might practical steps towards it be made in the settler colony today? These are the questions I want to explore in this chapter.

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Revitalising settler colonialism from below? Harry C. Boyle, ‘Revitalizing the American Commonwealth’, National Civic Review, 114, 2, 2025, pp. 6-19

16Aug25

Excerpt: In today’s political climate—dominated by division, privatization of public goods, and deepening distrust—what alternatives do we Americans have? An enduring answer lies in our own civic history: commonwealth politics—a tradition rooted in the idea that citizens are central in caring for the public good, also known as “the commons.” Defending the Commons: A Republican Stands Up for Public Lands: Ryan Zinke, Republican representative from Montana and former Secretary of the Interior, stripped an amendment from the budget bill that Republican Mark Amodei had advanced putting 500,000 acres of public lands up for sale. Zinke didn’t act out of ideological fealty to either markets or big government. He was rather motivated by his love of the commons.

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Settlers in Cyprus: Nikos Moudouros, ‘Settler colonialism or a hybrid case? Dimensions of colonization in Cyprus and Turkish Cypriot–settler antagonism’, International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, 9, 2025, #14

16Aug25

Abstract: This article explores the colonization of northern Cyprus by Turkey after the 1974 war through the analytical lens of settler colonialism. Drawing on comparative frameworks, it investigates whether Cyprus represents a classical case of settler colonialism or a hybrid model combining elements of both settler and traditional colonial strategies. The analysis foregrounds Turkey’s systematic policy of population transfer, state-building, and demographic engineering to transform the island’s northern part. The study emphasizes the colonization process’s political, social, and economic dimensions, including the class origins of settlers, the evolving antagonism between Turkish Cypriots and settlers, and the emergence of a contested social and political order. Highlighting the persistence of settler colonial dynamics well into the twenty-first century, the article argues that the Cyprus case illustrates a fluid and ongoing struggle involving the metropolitan centre (Turkey), the local administration, the indigenous Turkish Cypriot population, and the settler community. It concludes that Cyprus embodies a hybrid formation, characterized by persistent tensions over unresolved identity, authority, and self-determination.

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Settler colonialism is about reproducing one social body instead of another; of course it is eugenics! Carissa A Sherman , Shirin Nataneli , Katrina G Claw , Jazlyn A Mooney ‘Echoes of eugenics: confronting its effects in indigenous genomics’, Genetics, 2025, iyaf127

14Aug25

Abstract: In this perspective piece, we review the history of eugenics and its impacts on Indigenous peoples of North America. The perspective outlines historical policies, such as forced sterilization and immigration efforts targeting Indigenous populations. We explore how science is intertwined with eugenics and how eugenic ideologies continue to negatively impact Indigenous communities and science today. The work investigates the legacy of eugenics in shaping genetic studies, including genetic counseling and large-scale initiatives like the Human Genome Diversity Project. Additionally, we consider how institutions and biomedical research settings have committed inexcusable and unethical science that contributed to Indigenous peoples’ attitudes toward genetic and biomedical research. The work addresses the challenges genetic testing, including direct-to-consumer testing, poses to Indigenous people’s identities, culture, and sovereignty. Acknowledging this devastating history is essential to understanding its continued impact on Indigenous communities today. We conclude by highlighting ongoing efforts and strategies to effectively engage with Indigenous peoples in genetic research, emphasizing the responsibilities of modern researchers to build trust, ensure ethical practices, and contribute to inclusive and respectful science.

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Crimea is not Ukraine or Russia: Avery J. Kachmarsky, ‘Resilience in Crimea: the history of the Crimean Tatars’, Seton International Journal, 6, 2025

14Aug25

Abstract: This essay explores the history of the Crimean Tatars, from their origins as a Turkic-speaking people in medieval Crimea to their significant political and cultural role under the Crimean Khanate. The impact of Russian imperialism, Soviet repression, forced deportation in 1944, and struggles faced upon their return to Crimea after the collapse of the Soviet Union are examined. The ongoing persecution of the Crimean Tatar community following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 is also discussed, highlighting their resistance to occupation amidst efforts to suppress their language, culture, and political representation. This examination of the ongoing oppression and challenges faced by the Crimean Tatars sheds light on their resilience and the enduring spirit of their proud heritage.

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Trump is a settler colonialist: Joshua Inwood, ‘Come retribution: Revanchism, settler colonialism, and the geographical imagination of Donald Trump’s America’, EPD: Society and Space, 2025

14Aug25

Abstract: This paper analyzes Donald Trump’s political rhetoric and strategy through the lens of revanchism, settler colonialism, and racial capitalism. Focusing specifically on Trump’s declared intent for retribution, it situates his discourse within a longstanding geographical imagination embedded in settlercolonial logics. The paper illustrates how this rhetoric intensifies existing social inequalities and fuels reactionary political movements that seek to reinforce traditional hierarchies of race, class, and gender, which are rooted in neoliberal restructuring. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples —from Confederate symbolism invoked by Trump’s supporters to racialized conspiracies propagated during electoral campaigns—the paper’s analysis calls for scholars and political actors to engage with the geographic imaginaries that sustain Trumpism. By illustrating the interconnections between settler colonialism, racial capitalism, and neoliberalism this research contributes to a broader understanding of the spatial dimensions of reactionary political movements, highlighting the necessity for confronting revanchist strategies and their implications for American democracy and society.

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Reconciliation is reversible (rereconciliation next?): Christopher Alcantara, Lucas De Sousa, ‘From Reconciliation to Reversal: Explaining Reconciliatory Backsliding in Settler Societies’, Political Studies Review, 2025

14Aug25

Abstract: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples marked a pivotal moment, signalling an emerging global consensus on the recognition and protection of Indigenous peoples’ inherent rights. In its wake, settler states such as Australia and New Zealand adopted a reconciliatory turn, enacting policies to advance the political, economic and cultural interests of Indigenous communities. However, recent political developments – including Australia’s 2023 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Voice Referendum and New Zealand’s 2023 General Election – have triggered a reconciliatory U-turn, with Australians rejecting pro-Aboriginal constitutional reforms and New Zealand electing a coalition government that has begun to dismantle pro-Māori policies. This article introduces the concept of ‘reconciliatory backsliding’ to theorize such reversals and offers an analytical framework for examining its emergence. Using New Zealand as an illustrative case study, we invite scholars to apply and refine this framework to advance research in this newly emerging and critical area.

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Settler colonialism is a structure, not a founder event: Mylène Gagnon, Claudia Moreau, Jasmin Ricard, Marie-Claude Boisvert, Alexandre Bureau, Michel Maziade, Simon L. Girard, ‘Rare variants and founder effect in the Beauce region of Quebec’, Communications Biology, 8, 2025, #1184

13Aug25

Abstract: Founder events influenced the genetic diversity within the province of Quebec, increasing the frequency of certain rare pathogenic variants in regional populations. Some regions, such as Beauce, remain understudied despite evidence of a regional founder effect. Leveraging extensive genealogical data, we observe a specific regional structure emerging in Beauce following the initial settlement. It is characterised by a gradual increase in inbreeding and kinship coefficients and a low diversity of ancestors. Taking advantage of the region’s genetic distinctiveness, we describe 36 rare pathogenic variants with higher carrier rates in Beauce than in urban regions, likely due to the regional founder effect. This provides the first in-depth study of Beauce’s genetic and genealogical landscape, revealing a distinct structure and suggesting that other overlooked regions, in Quebec and elsewhere, could benefit from fine-scale population structure studies to improve the understanding and management of rare diseases.

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Defending Indigenous sovereignty requires flexibility: Patience Collier, Papatɨmnanáx̱a Tíinma Ku Tiichám / The People and the Land Tell Each Other’s History: Strengthening Tribal Sovereignty on the Western Columbia Plateau, 1854-1940, PhD dissertation, University of Oregon, 2025

13Aug25

Abstract: This dissertation uses primary source documents, linguistic analysis, and secondary sources to closely examine tribal leadership in the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Indian Reservation from 1854 to 1940. I aim to examine sovereignty in the terms and with the goals that tribal leaders in 1854-1855 used, and carry that definition forward through leadership and activism on both reservations. Plateau tribal leaders, I argue, defined sovereignty as a web of reciprocal relationships between people and land, in which people had rights – but so did land, and so did the other-than-human relatives who also resided on the Plateau. Although the context on and around the Plateau changed politically from 1855 to 1940, Plateau tribes adapted their strategies to that context without changing their core goals. The first decades of American settler-colonialism on the Columbia Plateau, from the 1840s to the 1880s, were catastrophically violent. Leaders of the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Yakama bands adopted multiple strategies, sometimes at odds with one another, to survive. Between the 1870s and 1910s, however, it is clear that band leaders worked together to protect each other, their land, and their people from American violence. Over the early 20th century, more grassroots activism becomes clear, particularly in labor, religion, and education. The determination of Plateau leaders and people to maintain their sovereign relationships shaped their political context at least as much as Federal Indian policy did, by the middle of the 20th century.

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