While the decolonisation of academia and society have become important topics, the significance and potential of such an approach is open to interpretation and often the subject of passionate debate. The Decolonisation Group at Utrecht University, which was created in January 2018, brings together historians, lawyers and postcolonial theorists to explore what can be gained from an interdisciplinary discussion.
This workshop wants to invite scholars from the field of history, law, political science, sociology, economics and Media and Cultural Studies as well as other academics who work on the topics of Settler Colonialism and property law – broadly defined – to join this conversation.
Keynote Speaker: Brenna Bhandar (School of Oriental and African Studies)
In her keynote Dr. Bhandar will discuss how the modern common law of property was forged through colonial encounters. Drawing from her book Colonial Lives of Property: Law, Land and Racial Regimes of Ownership (DUP: 2018), Dr. Bhandar will examine how modern property law contributes to the formation of racial subjects in settler colonies and to the development of racial capitalism. How did the colonial appropriation of indigenous lands depend upon ideologies of European racial superiority? What role was played by legal narratives that equate civilized life with English concepts of property?
This talk will serve as a case study to examine what it means to decolonise the study of a field that has yet to fully confront its affiliations with the history of colonialism, setting the stage for broader and transdisciplinary conversations.
Topic of the Workshop
Caroline Elkins and Susan Pedersen wrote, ‘The age of settler colonialism may be behind us, but its legacies are everywhere to be seen.’ (Settler Colonialism in the Twentieth Century, 2005, p1). This workshop sets out to explore those legacies through a set of different lenses and with the help of a range of academic disciplines.
Historians, lawyers, political scientists and sociologists all explore different dimensions of this topic and have collectively researched a wider range of caste studies and their legacies. In Zimbabwe white farmers see opportunities emerge from Robert Mugabe’s departure. His grab of white-owned property fundamentally influence the course of Zimbabwe’s economy. In Israel, settlers complicate the peace process. The United Nations and its predecessor the League of Nations had to grapple with the legality of colonial rule while the most violent acts of colonial resistance occurred in places with white settler communities such as Algeria, Kenya and Rhodesia. Monuments that celebrate settlers have been raised in places like Namibia and South Africa, defining public spaces. Court cases have been tried on the legality of land development schemes while land is considered one of the key means of production.
Understanding the colonial lives of property therefore requires a multidisciplinary approach whereby the insights of multiple disciplines can be brought to bear.
This workshop will consider a variety of contributions. Topics may include:
The history of settler colonialism
Cultural representations of the settler
The relationship between race and property
The legality of land grabs
The international politics of settler colonialism
Gender and settler mythology
Capitalism and Colonial Land