Settler society

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Settler society is a theoretical term in the early modern period and modern history that describes a common link between modern, predominantly European, attempts to permanently settle in other areas of the world. It is used to distinguish settler colonies from resource extraction colonies. The term came to wide use in the 1970s as part of the discourse on decolonization, particularly to describe older colonial units. [1]

Contents

History and examples

One of the earliest examples of settler society was the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which was established by Crusaders and lasted for almost 200 years. It constituted a localized feudal hierarchy established by the Franks, who ruled and exploited the territory according to their political and economic interests. [2] The European colonization of the Americas resulted in the establishment of several settler societies, [3] [4] while Australia was also established as a series of settler societies by European settlers during the colonization of Australia during the 19th century. [5]

Province of men

As a traditional model of comparative analysis, it has been described as the means by which white male settlers "heroically" conquered a land and established democracies of one sort or another. [6] This particular conceptualization has been criticized for ignoring issues such as race, ethnicity, and gender. However, it is noted that while the concept of settler society is structured along traditional gender lines, female settlers enjoyed favorable competitive position in comparison to their counterparts in the metropole. [7] For instance, a colonial administrator's wife or a female teacher was able to attain wider social recognition in settler societies. [7]

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Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence of nations and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, especially with the aim of gaining and maintaining its sovereignty (self-governance) over its perceived homeland to create a nation-state. It holds that each nation should govern itself, free from outside interference (self-determination), that a nation is a natural and ideal basis for a polity, and that the nation is the only rightful source of political power. It further aims to build and maintain a single national identity, based on a combination of shared social characteristics such as culture, ethnicity, geographic location, language, politics, religion, traditions and belief in a shared singular history, and to promote national unity or solidarity. Nationalism, therefore, seeks to preserve and foster a nation's traditional culture. There are various definitions of a "nation", which leads to different types of nationalism. The two main divergent forms identified by scholars are ethnic nationalism and civic nationalism.

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Settler colonialism occurs when colonizers invade and occupy territory to permanently replace the existing society with the society of the colonizers.

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References

  1. Haskins, Victoria K.; Lowrie, Claire (2015). Colonization and Domestic Service: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. New York: Routledge. p. 22. ISBN   9781138013896.
  2. Lloyd, Christopher; Metzer, Jacob; Sutch, Richard (2013). Settler Economies in World History. Leiden: BRILL. p. 11. ISBN   978-90-04-23264-8.
  3. James E. Seelye Jr.; Shawn Selby (2018). Shaping North America: From Exploration to the American Revolution [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 344. ISBN   978-1-4408-3669-5.
  4. Robert Neelly Bellah; Richard Madsen; William M. Sullivan; Ann Swidler; Steven M. Tipton (1985). Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. University of California Press. p. 220. ISBN   978-0-520-05388-5. OL   7708974M.
  5. Woollacott, Angela (2015). Settler Society in the Australian Colonies: Self-government and Imperial Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 1. ISBN   9780199641802.
  6. Moses, Dirk (2004). Genocide and Settler Society: Frontier Violence and Stolen Indigenous Children in Australian History . New York: Berghahn Books. pp.  35. ISBN   1571814108.
  7. 1 2 Lorcin, Patricia (2012). Historicizing Colonial Nostalgia: European Women's Narratives of Algeria and Kenya 1900-Present. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 81. ISBN   9781349341672.

Bibliography