Category Archives: Settler colonialism

Key developments of 1532, and notes on Portugal’s slavery system in Brazil

Helena · 10:05 am · 01/12/2021 · 500-year perspective, Anti-imperialism, History of sugar, Imperialisms, Settler colonialism, Slavery

Today, looking at 1532 CE, we’ll return to looking more at what the Portuguese Empire was up to worldwide (and especially in Brazil.) But first, a broader look at the main events that impacted the continuing development of the “West’s” domination of the world: In January, São Vicente was established as the first permanent Portuguese … Continue reading Key developments of 1532, and notes on Portugal’s slavery system in Brazil →

Key developments of 1531 (and notes on Spain’s early-16th century empire)

Helena · 10:23 am · 01/11/2021 · 500-year perspective, Anti-imperialism, Imperialisms, Settler colonialism

Most of the developments I’m noting from 1531 CE relate to Spain’s still rapidly growing transatlantic empire– see more on this, below. Within Europe during this year, various Catholic-Protestant things were happening, though nothing that stands out. But the first two items here concern two large pre-Western empires in Africa… 1531 saw two large battles … Continue reading Key developments of 1531 (and notes on Spain’s early-16th century empire) →

Key developments of 1525

Helena · 9:49 am · 01/05/2021 · 500-year perspective, Imperialisms, Settler colonialism

By this point, in terms of European projects at world domination and all the plunder, destruction, and genocide that they entailed, Spain was clearly stepping into the number-one role. (See the orange-daubed parts of the world, above. Yellow was Portugal.) The Spanish state was also still actively throwing its weight around inside Europe, whereas the … Continue reading Key developments of 1525 →

The British genocides against Australian First Nations

Helena · 4:16 pm · 07/17/2020 · Anti-imperialism, Australia, Black Lives Matter, Genocide, Imperialisms, Settler colonialism, U.S. history

I’ve been researching and thinking a lot about the forms of settler colonialism unleashed and maintained by “White” European nations– mainly, my own people-of-birth, the British– against people of color in many parts of the world. At times, doing this research– reading these accounts, seeing and trying to understand these pictures– makes me deeply, deeply … Continue reading The British genocides against Australian First Nations →

The unbearable legacies of settler colonialism

Helena · 2:42 pm · 07/03/2020 · Algeria, Anti-imperialism, Black Lives Matter, Ethics, Imperialisms, Settler colonialism, World order

Today, an Air Algerie plane conveyed to the Houari Boumedienne International Airport in Algiers the mortal remains of Sheikh Ahmed Bouziane, commander of a native-Algerian force overpowered by the invading French in Zaatcha, Algeria, in November 1849, and 23 other members of the defeated Algerian defense force. According to this account by Madjid Zerrouky in … Continue reading The unbearable legacies of settler colonialism →

Exploring imperial decline with Kapuscinski and Farrusco

Helena · 2:36 pm · 05/27/2020 · Anti-imperialism, Imperialisms, Settler colonialism, South Africa, World order

Alert readers will recall that last week I wrote about re-reading Ryszard Kapuscinski’s amazing book Another Day of Life, which is about the 1975 collapse of Portugal’s empire in Africa. This was part of my current investigation of the phenomenon of imperial decline, in general. The collapse of Portugal’s worldwide (mainly African) empire is an … Continue reading Exploring imperial decline with Kapuscinski and Farrusco →