The Flying Heads of Settler Colonialism; or the Ideological Erasures of Indigenous Peoples in Political Theorizing

Abstract

This essay relies on the insight that settler colonialism is an ongoing structure geared toward the elimination of Indigenous presence to argue that ideologies that legitimate and naturalize settler occupation are equally ongoing. More specifically, the ideologies that justify settler colonialism in major states like Australia, Canada, and the United States, are like Flying Heads that shape-shift and recur over time. We explore how two notorious ideological tropes—terra nullius and the myth of the Vanishing Race—recur in the work of contrasting contemporary theorists. Ultimately, Flying Head ideologies of settler colonialism cannot be defeated by reasoned argument alone, but by structural transformations beyond the settler-colonial relations that necessitate and sustain them. Following diverse Indigenous theorists and activists, we briefly explore prefigurative resurgent practices and how Indigenous political imaginaries, like the Dish with One Spoon, offer alternatives to transcend the settler colonial present.

Changing the Narrative: Settler Colonialism, Food and the Columbia River Treaty

“…I take seriously, however, the argument by Tuck and Yang (2012) that decolonization, by definition, requires the return of Indigenous lands to Indigenous peoples and that contemporary decolonization "moves" by settler governments tend to ignore this fact, and by so doing perpetuate settler colonialism. Allard-Tremblay and Coburn (2021) and Strakosch and Macoun (2012) make similar arguments, noting the ways in which reconciliation discourse implies that settler colonialism has come to an end or will soon do so when, in fact, the end is always vanishing before our very eyes. Corntassel (2012) argues that calls for reconciliation are a "distraction" for Indigenous communities and calls instead for the more immediate and realizable goal of Indigenous "resurgence."…”

Investigating temporal bone variation of colonial populations from St‐Lawrence Valley, Quebec: A 3D geometric morphometric approach

“…Understanding and piecing together Quebec's colonial past involves its various descending populations' intricate connections with Indigenous populations. Folk histories suggest significant Indigenous ancestry among French–Canadians, which in turn contribute to minimizing other groups contributions (e.g., Indigenous or African; Allard‐Tremblay & Coburn, 2023). Genetic and genealogical studies show that less than 1% of the Quebecois population tracks back Indigenous ancestry (Moreau et al, 2013; Vézina et al, 2012).…”

“…Folk histories suggest significant Indigenous ancestry among French-Canadians, which in turn contribute to minimizing other groups contributions (e.g., Indigenous or African; Allard- Tremblay & Coburn, 2023).…”

“Where do I even start?” Recommendations for faculty diversifying syllabi in ecology, evolution, and the life sciences

“…The process of decolonization is complex and multidimensional, and its definition varies both within and across disciplines and contexts (Goeman, 2008; Padayachee et al, 2018; Smith, 1999; Tuck & Yang, 2012). From a pedagogical viewpoint, decolonization efforts are intended to decenter colonial knowledge (which erases and obfuscates Indigenous knowledge) and agitates colonizing ideologies (Allard‐Tremblay & Coburn, 2021) that shape curricular texts, assignments, and instruction (Absolon, 2019). However, some Indigenous scholars and community members within settler colonial nation states argue that using the language of “decolonization” in this context actually supports settler colonial agendas and dilutes the main decolonial effort which is centered on returning Indigenous lands to Native Nations (i.e., rematriation; Tuck & Yang, 2012).…”