Colonialism and Keeping Away from the Past
In this post, I will discuss my beliefs about Colonialism, then reading Frank Furedi’s book discuss how those ideas were upheld and where they were challenged. I will end discussing by looking at an example of how people are “Waring Against the Past.”[1]
Previous Knowledge – Colonialism
Colonialism—To me it is the practice of a government expanding its rule in another area. For example, In the late 1400s Spain and Portugal split up colonizing the unknown world mostly Africa and the Americas through a treaty. Later England joined in this practice. I do not believe I heard this term while going through school K-12 or even in college, but the practice was taught. Based on my existing knowledge, I believe colonialism was a practice that seemed to take off in the late 1400’s, being fueled by the church through the three papal bulls known as the doctrine of discovery. I believe the church was in favor of this idea seeing it as a means to spread the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation. Fueled by greed, the governments saw it as a way to increase their wealth. The Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans all were involved in expanding their government through taking over other counties. Slavery seems to coincide with colonialism. If the people are not outright killed or enslaved, colonialism forces the culture of the invading power onto the existing inhabitants, thus transforming the territory into a sister colony. Colonialism in the 1900s was finally seen as an unacceptable practice and the foreign powers gradually left the host territories, often in worse conditions. Perhaps the only real benefit to colonialism was the spread of the Gospel.
Gains from the Book
To be honest, given our previous knowledge term and the content of Frank Furedi’s book, I wondered if I had the wrong book or Dr. Clark gave us the wrong term. I was expecting a book that would highlight some of the history of colonialism around the world, telling the readers of its evils. However, the term decolonization or variation of appeared in the book more often than the term colonialism. When he does use the term, it is often used in a manner that has a negative connotation. Not that he himself sees it as negative but those who War Against the Past. For example, Furedi writes “Colonialism is frequently reinterpreted as the precursor of the Holocaust. Others suggest that ‘colonialism was worse than Nazism’’[2] Therefore the usage of the term throughout the book does confirm my belief that colonialism when placed on a scale would weigh toward being a negative practice.
It is Furedi’s usage of the term that causes me to pause and consider if colonialism in the long run was actually more good than evil. I have already mentioned the spread of the Gospel, having heard from Bible teachers that the structure of the Roman Empire is what allowed the Gospel to be spread so easily and quickly to the known world. Did colonialism have other positive qualities? Perhaps things like scientific knowledge, technology, and medical advances were sped up. Furedi says “Designating every dimension of the classroom experience as marked by the residue of colonialism (the negative aspects of) serves to remind the young that their past is bereft of virtuous moments. “[3] It would be interesting to engage in a conversation with scholars from various disciplines to obtain their opinions.
Furedi’s main concept of the book is that the past is under attack. I was reminded of Yascha Mounk’s , The Identity Trap several times throughout the book.[4] Mounk talked about Critical Race Theory, the practice of cancellation and the reshaping of history and person’s identities. I think these two would have a great conversation together.
Distancing Society from History – Case Example
Throughout the book Furedi argues that people want to rewrite or even negate history through practices like Year Zero, anachronism, and social amnesia.[5] He mentions the four phases of distancing society from their history.
Phase one: The past as no longer relevant
Phase two: The past as an obstacle to progress
Phase three: The past as principally malevolent
Phase four: The past as a clear and present danger![6] (52-57)
I do see this being displayed in our society today. Furedi opens his book discussing the removal of a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Portland Oregon in October 2020.[7] There have been statues of civil war generals removed, military bases renamed and buildings or programs renamed such as Cleveland State University’s Law school. The President of the University writes
I support the CSU Board’s decision. We cannot ignore the reality that Chief Justice John Marshall bought and sold hundreds of slaves throughout his adult life, and unlike many of his contemporaries like George Washington, did not free any of his slaves; nor can we ignore his troubling beliefs, statements, and actions relating to slavery. His actions and views are contrary to the shared values of our Law College and the University – an unwavering commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
My view is that changing our Law College name is not about erasing history; it is about understanding the inherent complexity of our history and reckoning with that history in the context of our present-day values. Chief Justice John Marshall’s contributions to American jurisprudence are significant and enduring, and his writings, decisions, and judicial legacy will continue to be an important part of our curriculum and the education of all CSU College of Law students, but we need to recognize the distinction between history and bestowing honor.[8]
I believe Furedi would see this as an example of moral anachronism. The term ‘moral anachronism’ best captures the ritual humbling characters from the past. By treating individuals and events in the past as having to account for themselves, in relation to standards of the present, moral anachronism effectively erodes the temporal distinction between the present and the past, assessing historical figures as if they are our peers.[9]
I fully believe that we need to study the past even subjects such as colonialism. We need to acknowledge that history is the study of humans who as a result of sin naturally engage in selfish, sometimes evil acts. At the same time, we need to recognize the accomplishments of people. All the while keeping them in the context of their time in history. Sometimes I will admit this is easier said than done in our current society.
[1] Frank Furedi, The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight for Its History (Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2024).
[2] Furedi, 73.
[3] Furedi, 192.
[4] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, (New York, Penguin, 2023).
[5] Furedi, 62, 89, 213
[6] Furedi, 52-57.
[7] Furedi, vi.
[8] Cleveland State University, Law School Name Change, November 17, 2022, https://www.law.csuohio.edu/meetcsulaw/history/namechange.
[9] Furedi, 9-10
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.14 responses to “Colonialism and Keeping Away from the Past”
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Thanks for your blog, mate, and the great incorporation of Mounk’s book, too. Given that history is complex and often a mix of both positive and negative consequences, how do you think we can best approach teaching and discussing colonialism in a way that acknowledges both its destructive impact and its contributions without oversimplifying or distorting the past?
Glyn,
A wonderful question with no easy answer. I’m thinking about your post where the gentleman stood up and gave his perspective of colonialism. I think that may be an option to teach history, the present facts of what happened, then present perspectives from different people groups impacted by that history and allow the reader/listener the ability to form their own opinions.
Jeff,
I really appreciate this quote, “but we need to recognize the distinction between history and bestowing honor.” This is the point of contention I have. There is some history that is glorified and it should not be. So, sometimes we should remove things. I also think of some old buildings in our city. Sometimes the city keeps them as a historical building and sometimes they are torn down. Not every building is kept. Sometimes things need to get torn down for a beautiful new space to be put in. I think history is just like that. It takes a balance of keeping an understanding of the past and meshing it with the new.
Adam,
Thanks for the comments. Our church building was over 100 years old when we decided to tear it down to build a new one. There were a lot of differing opinions about it, but in the end building the new building did allow us to provide services to the village that were not previously possible.
Hi Jeff, I like your statement in your conclusion that history is the study of humans who are sometimes sinful and whose acts can sometimes be evil. Once this is acknowledged, what would your next step(s) be?
Diane,
Great question. I think it would be important to study things in their context as much as possible. What was the culture, do we know the rationale behind why decisions were made. Who were their advisors or people with whom they were connected. I think when we understand the background we can be more empathetic/understanding of decisions that were made. I believe that if the person had a Christian faith we still need to weigh any actions through a love of God, love of neighbor lens. I believe this is for how we look at history and decisions people make today.
Hi Jeff, I share a sentiment similar to yours. I kept waiting to get a history lesson on colonization. However, I quickly realized Furedi was more engaged with the word decolonization. I appreciate your outline of the four phases of distancing society from its history. Has your campus had to navigate any aspect of the current culture wars? If so, has it impacted any of the school policies?
Elyse,
Great question. Our social work department is probably the one that is the black sheep of Christian thought. A few years ago we did have to defend what aspects of CRT we were teaching. But once we explained it the board was fine. Reportedly our new administration is working on making sure all teaching aligns with the Nazarene doctrine. Where exactly this goes is yet to be seen.
Hey Jeff, when you bought The Identity trap in I said to myself there are some real similarities. How can better get across the finish line in a way that promotes both accountability and historical accuracy?
Daren,
Empathy, understanding, and context is the short answer. Years ago, I was researching the topic of forgiveness. I read a book co-authored by Everett Worthington titled To Forgive is Human. Between writing the book and the book’s release, Worthington’s mom was brutally murdered. I heard Worthington recount how he had to practice what he wrote about forgiveness. One of the things he discusses is the need for empathy toward the person who wounded you and also understanding their context. He said this doesn’t excuse the person but allows them to be human. I feel this is a good method for examining history. What was going on in the historical person’ life and the world around them that led to their actions. If the person was a Christian, I believe we hold them to a higher standard, were they loving God and loving their neighbor? Obtaining empathy in Worthington’s book is done through recognizing that we all have wounded other people and are in need of forgiveness. Same with looking at history. We have all made positive and negative choices, no one is perfect in how they live their life. Present the historical facts including the context, allow them to be human, hold them accountable given the facts and contexts and be honest when answering if you would have done it differently given the same situation.
I’ll be honest, right now I am reading a devotional on Christian history and am really struggling to understand the senseless killings that Protestants and Catholics did to one another. Seeing them as human and understanding context helps but it is really hard to not immediately condemn them.
Hi Jeff – I am intrigued by your example of CSU and the renaming of their law school. I don’t know anything about Chief Justice John Marshall, so this comment doesn’t directly concern this example.
There are many things like this that seem to indicate that we struggle to hold the tension that God can use very broken sinners in profound ways for good. I was once talking with a friend about MLK Jr and how God used him in profound ways, and they brought up that he was a womanizer. While this may be true, does it mean that we should ignore all of the ways that God used him in the civil rights movement?
Christy,
John Marshall while he had slaves, ruled against the forced removal of Native Americans from their lands in the South. His ruling was ultimately ignored and led to the Trail of Tears as mentioned in Jennifer’s post. So CSU has chosen to focus on and judge him for the negative things he did, just like focusing on MLK Jr’s womanizing. Looking into the Scriptures, we call David a man after God’s own heart, despite his moral failings. I also think of pastors and/or ministries that have fallen over the years. We cannot discount the changed lives of the followers because the pastor was a sinner. To ultimately answer your question, God’s use of MLK Jr in the civil rights movement should not be ignored because he did not live a sinless life.
Hi Jeff, I enjoyed your introduction on the history of colonization coupled with the spread of the Gospel. I see this still in play in Africa. In your conclusion, you say “At the same time, we need to recognize the accomplishments of people. All the while keeping them in the context of their time in history.” This idea of contextualization is very applicable to other aspects of life including sharing the Gospel across different contexts and cultures. As someone teaching different generations, what are ways you can contextualize some of these learnings to your students?
In teaching our students we preach context all the time. We ask our students to learn what they can about their client’s cultures and use that understanding as a starting point for interventions. Conducting a thorough bio-psycho- social history is a great place to begin putting the client into their context. As you know a person’s history defines a lot of who they are. At the macro level, the steps we are taking for our doctoral projects closely mirrors what I teach. Go into a community and help them define the need, problem or opportunity. The social worker must understand the problem from the eyes of the community.