Whyte Set Col Article Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is settler colonialism?
A system in which one society seeks permanent occupation of lands already inhabited, erasing Indigenous ecologies, cultures, and governance.
How is settler colonialism ecological violence?
It disrupts human–environment relationships and replaces Indigenous ecologies with settler systems that undermine resilience.
What is ‘collective continuance’?
The capacity of a society to adapt to change while sustaining well-being and self-determination; it depends on healthy interdependent relationships.
What are the three core qualities of collective continuance?
Interdependence, systems of responsibilities, and migration.
Why does Whyte prefer “ecology” to “environment”?
“Ecology” emphasizes active relationships, responsibilities, and adaptability; “environment” is too static or externally defined.
Define ‘interdependence’ in Indigenous ecology.
Reciprocal human–nonhuman relations that structure identity, spirituality, responsibility, and adaptability.
What are ‘systems of responsibilities’?
Networks of duties among humans, nonhumans, and ecosystems that sustain collective continuance.
How does ‘migration’ function in Indigenous resilience?
A mode of continual adaptation and transformation of relationships, not fixed belonging.
What is ‘transmotion’?
Constant motion between persisting and emerging responsibilities; dynamic social resilience.
What is ‘vicious sedimentation’?
Layers of settler-imposed change that erase Indigenous ecologies and normalize settler dominance, reinforcing ignorance.
What is an example of vicious sedimentation?
The transformation of Midwestern landscapes into settler spaces like golf courses and suburbs that obscure Indigenous presence.
What are ‘insidious loops’?
Feedback cycles where earlier colonial harms (e.g., land dispossession) amplify modern harms like climate vulnerability.
Example of insidious loop?
Tribes relocated to small, vulnerable lands now face the worst effects of climate change—e.g., sea level rise or pollution from extractive industries.
How do settler ecologies differ from Indigenous ecologies?
Settler ecologies prioritize extraction, ownership, and control; Indigenous ones are grounded in responsibilities, trust, and reciprocity.
What is a ‘settlerscape’?
The physical and conceptual reshaping of land through settler infrastructure, laws, and ideology.
What is the ‘settler grammar of place’?
Everyday practices and narratives that naturalize settler presence and erase Indigenous histories.
Why is patriarchy key to settler colonialism?
Patriarchy erodes trust, consent, and redundancy in social relations; it displaces Indigenous gender systems.
Why is redundancy important in collective continuance?
It provides flexibility through diverse knowledge holders and responsibilities, ensuring survival during disruption.
How does forced relocation affect redundancy?
It restricts access to land-based practices, weakening intergenerational knowledge and ecological memory.
Why is the US settler society unsustainable, according to Whyte?
It lacks trust, consent, and redundancy and depends on extractive growth and environmental degradation.
How does the US promote settler innocence?
Through denial of causality, use of myths (like wilderness), and selective memory that obscures Indigenous presence.
What is the ‘Dish With One Spoon’ treaty?
A precolonial agreement emphasizing shared responsibility over land and resources, contrasting with settler land seizure.
How does settler colonialism weaponize speed?
It enacts rapid change that prevents Indigenous societies from adapting without incurring harm.
What are the moral duties for settlers implied by the theory?
To secure Indigenous land, restore policies that uphold trust, and eliminate domination structures.
