19.2 Colonization and Anthropology

Anthropology's relationship with colonialism has been complex and controversial. Vine Deloria Jr.'s critiques sparked important changes, challenging anthropologists to reconsider their methods and relationships with Indigenous communities. This led to increased reflexivity and ethical considerations within the field.

The practice of "othering" Indigenous peoples has had profound negative impacts, justifying land dispossession and cultural suppression. Anthropologists have played both supportive and critical roles in colonialism, with the field now working towards decolonization through collaboration, Indigenous methodologies, and advocacy for Indigenous rights.

Colonization and Anthropology

Impact of Vine Deloria Jr.

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• Vine Deloria Jr. was a Standing Rock Sioux author, theologian, historian, and activist who significantly influenced Native studies and critiqued anthropology
  • Wrote the influential book "Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto" (1969) which criticized anthropologists for treating Native Americans as objects of study rather than as living people and argued that anthropologists exploited Native communities for their own professional gain
  • Challenged the authority of non-Native academics to speak on behalf of Native peoples and advocated for Native Americans to take control of their own narratives and research
• Deloria's work helped establish Native American studies as an academic discipline by encouraging more Native Americans to enter academia and challenge dominant narratives
• His critiques of anthropology led to increased reflexivity and ethical considerations within the discipline, prompting anthropologists to re-evaluate their methods and relationships with Indigenous communities

Effects of "othering" on Indigenous people

• Othering is the process of defining a group as fundamentally different and often inferior to one's own group, creating a distinction between "us" and "them" often based on perceived cultural, racial, or ethnic differences
• Indigenous peoples in the United States have been subjected to othering by the dominant Euro-American society, portrayed as "savages," "primitives," or "uncivilized" and seen as obstacles to progress and manifest destiny
• Effects of othering on Indigenous peoples include:
  • Justification for land dispossession, forced assimilation, and cultural suppression (boarding schools, language bans)
  • Stereotyping and misrepresentation in popular media and discourse (Hollywood "cowboys and Indians" tropes)
  • Marginalization and exclusion from mainstream society (reservations, lack of political representation)
  • Internalized oppression and loss of cultural identity due to generations of discrimination and cultural erasure
  • Cultural imperialism, where dominant culture is imposed on Indigenous peoples, leading to erosion of traditional practices and beliefs

Anthropologists as colonial cultural experts

• Anthropologists have often served as cultural intermediaries between colonial powers and Indigenous peoples, providing information and advice to colonial administrators and helping develop policies and programs aimed at assimilation or control
• Anthropological knowledge has been used to justify and facilitate colonial domination:
  • Evolutionary theories were used to rank societies and justify the "civilizing mission" of colonialism
  • Ethnographic descriptions of Indigenous cultures were used to develop strategies for governance and resource extraction (land allotment, mining rights)
• Anthropologists have also played a role in preserving Indigenous cultural heritage by documenting languages, traditions, and material culture that were under threat from colonial policies, however, this documentation was often done without the full consent or participation of Indigenous communities

Anthropology's role in colonialism vs decolonization

• Anthropology has a historical connection to colonialism, as the discipline emerged during the height of European colonial expansion
  • Early anthropologists often worked in the service of colonial governments or were funded by colonial institutions (British Empire, French colonies)
  • Anthropological theories and methods were influenced by colonial ideologies of racial and cultural hierarchy (social Darwinism, cultural evolutionism)
• Examples of how anthropology supported colonialism:
  • Salvage ethnography: documenting "vanishing" cultures before they disappeared under colonial rule
  • Applied anthropology: using anthropological knowledge to help colonial governments manage Indigenous populations (indirect rule, assimilation policies)
  • Museum collections: displaying Indigenous cultural artifacts as curiosities or trophies of colonial conquest
• Decolonizing practices in anthropology include:
  1. Reflexivity: examining one's own positionality and biases as a researcher
  2. Collaboration: working with Indigenous communities as partners and co-producers of knowledge
  3. Indigenous methodologies: using research methods that are grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being
  4. Repatriation: returning cultural artifacts and ancestral remains to their communities of origin
  5. Advocacy: using anthropological knowledge to support Indigenous rights and self-determination

Anthropological Perspectives and Postcolonial Approaches

• Cultural relativism: The principle of understanding and evaluating a culture on its own terms, without imposing external value judgments
• Ethnocentrism: The tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to judge other cultures by its standards
• Postcolonialism: A theoretical approach that critically examines the cultural, political, and economic legacies of colonialism and imperialism
• Subaltern studies: An academic subfield that focuses on the perspectives and experiences of marginalized groups in postcolonial societies