‽istis ponders: de-colonising (weekending March 4th 2023)
This week it was:
· a ‘Tweet’ from Sir Geoff Palmer[i] on February 28th that included the words: ‘Our History: What is decolonising? Let’s deal with unacceptable consequences of colonisation such as racism, culture abuse and poverty.’
– and –
· the purchase of ‘Complicity’ by Jay Bernard[ii] (one in the ‘Look Again’ series from Tate Publishing and Tate Britain) and its foreword: ‘We live in the legacy of colonialism. It permeates the very fabric of the social structures in which we exist.’
that prompted much pondering about mindsets[iii]
So ‽istis has been pondering what perhaps, possibly, maybe a ‘colonial mindset’ – then and now‽ Here’s a start with phrases in no particular order for perhaps sometimes has it been a consciously systematised uniform ideology; other times it has possibly been incomplete, partial, inherited, imbued, absorbed; maybe sometimes it has presented in the guise of a commitment to help, in sincerely held beliefs…
Colonial mindset
- We are better
- We can take
- Learn this
- God is on our side
- This is mine
- You do the work
- This is how you worship
- I own
- This is the right way
- You are mine
- Sing this
- Bow/courtesy
- We own the means of production
- These are the rules
- Salute this flag
- We might let you in, if…
- We own
- Read this sacred text
- Live here
- This is the best way
- Listen, I am speaking
- Members only
- I am entitled
- You are ours
- This is the language that will be used
- Believe this
- We are superior
- Quiet
- No entry
- Wear this
- You are the means of production
- Confess the Lord your God
- I own you
- That’s not art/culture/music
- We will defeat you
- We will take
- This is the curriculum
- Speak like this
- I am superior
- Ours is the profit
- We own you
- Not like that, like this
- This is for your own good
- Think this
- This is ours
… and you might care to add your own‽
And ‽istis continues to ponder…
Guilt by association, guilt through complicity‽
And ‽istis feels ashamed…
And ‽istis continues to ponder…
Eventually, ‽istis begins to wonder what a ‘decolonial’ mindset perhaps looks and possibly sounds like, but decides to save this for another week’s blog - though maybe we should not wait for several hundred years before trying to think and feel and articulate it in words and actions‽
© ‽istis
NB: further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders. ‘Follows’ and respectful comment and dialogue welcome...
[i] @SirGeoffPalmer Professor Emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a human rights activist.
[ii] Author of the poetry collection Surge
[iii] Many references to be pursued, but this seemed interesting: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/seeing-what-others-dont/201605/mindsets perhaps especially the section on Child Protective Services: ‘Here is a fifth mindset that emerged from a project my research team did with Child Protective Services caseworkers. The mediocre caseworkers believed that their job was to follow procedures, but the best caseworkers saw the job as continually solving problems.’
