Anti-colonialism

Anti-colonialism practices oppose colonialism or current coloniality. Please review our page on decolonization, which goes further by presenting a critique of the oppressive system while proposing possible solutions to overcome it. There are also further details on the forms it comes in on our definitions page for colonialism.

Consequences of colonialism

Environmental degradation	For the first time since it's release, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned the term “colonialism” in its 2022 report.  Leading climate scientists acknowledged that colonialism is a historic and ongoing driver of the climate crisis. Indigenous Peoples in Canada were forced off their territories, which they had been taking care of since time immemorial, so that settlers could make way for mass settlement. These settlements emphasized environmental degradation to make way for agricultural development, and for the over-extraction of resources for profit.  The environmental impacts of colonialism are still seen today, with projects backed by the Canadian state and industry being forced through unceded territory (i.e. the CGL pipeline).
Economic inequality	An unequal trading system has been imposed on Africa by Europe from the mid fifteenth century onwards. African countries have been exploited of sufficient national wealth to invest in their infrastructure since Europeans colonized Africa hundreds of years ago
Human rights violations	European dominance over most of Africa through the transatlantic slave trade lasted 440 years.
Ethnic cleansing	Indigenous Palestinians have been fighting for their rights to the land which they inhabited long before Israel for decades. Between1947-1949over 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their land. This displacement is continuing today.

Examples of anti-colonialism

Wet'suwet'en land defence against the CGL pipeline	Wet'suwet'en land defenders continue to exercise their sovereign rights on their unceded territory to reside on and care for their land. They have been fighting for their rights to their territory, where CGL is building without their free, prior and informed consent, since 2020.
Six Nations land defence at 1492 land back lane	Haudenosaunee residents and land defenders fought back against a developer who purchased land on Six Nations territory. The blockades were held for extensive periods of time; and they won.
Taking down statues of colonial figureheads	E.g. a statue of Egerton Ryerson, who helped establish Canada's residential schools, was taken down by primarily Indigenous locals outside of X University.

If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

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