There There and The Secret River both look at Settler Colonialism. The first difference that I notice between the two is how Settler Colonialism is being showcased. In There There, we hear from many characters about the difficulties of not being Indian enough or being too Indian. Many of them struggled with their identities. Their version of a home was not easily defined. Many were residents of the Bay Area, yet they did not feel very connected to their environment. Or, they felt connected to a version of the environment that no longer existed. In any case, their identity was challenged unfairly by their surroundings. Now, in The Secret River, our perspective is flipped.
We are no longer looking through the unjustly colonized, we are looking through the unjust colonizers. It is funny to use the term 'colonizers' in the case of Will and his family because they did not have much of a choice. I always thought of colonization as a very intentional act: direct grabs of power (taking land) from the native people of a given area. In Will's case, it was a way to escape death. Still, it is reasonable to include Will and his family in this category. Not only because of where he is from but also because of what he is now doing. Will is stealing land from native people on his own. I cannot think of a more direct expression of colonialism than this.
Hey John! You brought up some really good points that I hadn't considered yet. For instance, I had not realized the contrast of the Native people in There There being unsure about their home or the strength of their cultural heritage, while it seems like the Aboriginal people in The Secret River know exactly who they are and where they belong. One of the modern day effects of settler colonialism is the distortion and covering up of Native culture and history, and I wonder if this contributes to the internal identity struggles that the There There characters experience. Also, I liked that you pointed out that Will and his family have to never leave Australia in order to mirror the example of settler colonists. I wonder if this is foreshadowing that Sal will never get to go 'home' after all.
ReplyDeleteHi John! I didn't think about how Will's form of colonialism is more of a means to escape death. That's a really good finding! However, I think you are right to still include him as a colonizer. No matter his reasoning, he still did everything that a colonizer does. He even disrespected the Aboriginals and created assumptions about them from his select few interactions with Aboriginals. I agree with you that Will seems like he will never leave. He gained so much attachment to the land from barely being there and now it's his. I think that something big would have to happen for him to leave what is now his home.
ReplyDeleteHey John! I totally agree with you about the different approaches to settler colonialism . In "There, There", we see how the characters are struggling with their identities and feeling disconnected from their surroundings, which is a result of the colonialism they've experienced. It's a powerful reminder of how colonialism can have lasting affects on a community, even after they have seemingly integrated into society and urban culture. Like you mentioned, the concept of home is a difficult one for them On the other hand, "The Secret River" gives us a different perspective by showing us the story of the colonizers themselves. It's interesting to see how Will and his family are also being affected by the situation in their own way. They are forced to leave their home and are now taking land from the native people, which is a clear expression of colonialism. You also brought up a good point about the concept of settler colonialism, which is that the settlers never leave. I still think that Will is participating in settler colonialism, even if his time in Sydney is temporary. He is still taking land from native peoples and harming them by removing their food. I would call that colonizing even if it is not permanent because he is contributing to the overall colonization that for others is permanent.
ReplyDeleteHey John, you make some pretty solid point. Reading your post got me to thinking more about how the two different books see "home" through the settler colonialism view. In There There, as you mentioned, many of the characters didn't really have a pinned down version of what home was to them due to the displacement that they have received because of settler colonialism. In a similar way in The Secret River, Will doesn't entirely have a place where he calls home either, but is trying to make one in Australia. But his views of having a home are much different than the aboriginals. Will thinks he needs a square crop area and a house in order to have a home while, although we don't get the aboriginal's perspective, I can infer that they don't really see a square piece of land or crop as a home or an identifier of their property.
ReplyDeleteHey John, I was very invested with some of the points you made while I was reading this particular post. I like the way you define settler colonialism and agree that I also see it as a very intentional, physical act. I think you make an interesting point at the end of your post when you talk about defining settler colonialism and how Will doesn't yet apply to this category. I find it an interesting perspective, because I hadn't really thought of that.
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