Settler Colonialism and Empire in Early America

Settler colonialism, characterized by the elimination of Indigenous peoples to replace them with settler societies, emerged as a dominant form of colonization in early America and Australia. Allan Greer's analysis highlights that unlike exploitative colonialism, which relied on native labor, settler colonialism targeted land acquisition without dependence on Indigenous work. This logic of elimination, rooted in Marxist and postcolonial theories, was exemplified in Australia due to its lack of pre-colonial territorial complexities and the military weakness of its Indigenous population. Greer contrasts this with North and South America, where Indigenous resistance prolonged colonization. The study draws on Patrick Wolfe's theory, emphasizing material considerations over ideological ones, and examines historical narratives that deny violence while advancing settler control through massacres, forced migrations, and assimilation.

Greer. (2019). Settler Colonialism and Empire in Early America. The William and Mary Quarterly, 76(3), 383. https://doi.org/10.5309/willmaryquar.76.3.0383