{"id":39883,"date":"2025-02-13T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T16:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=39883"},"modified":"2025-02-17T08:47:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T16:47:56","slug":"lets-not-go-back-to-year-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/lets-not-go-back-to-year-zero\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Not Go Back To Year Zero"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Do I Currently Believe About Colonialism?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In reflecting upon this question, I have considered whether my age influences my perspectives on colonialism. I am keen to understand the viewpoints of younger generations on this matter.<\/p>\n

If colonialism is loosely understood as the invasion and settlement of one nation over another, accompanied by the domination of Indigenous populations and the exploitation of resources, it is fundamentally unjust. This phenomenon has been a persistent feature throughout history and continues to manifest in various forms today.<\/p>\n

Addressing our troubling past is a complex issue, particularly concerning the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada. I believe that acknowledging the atrocities of the past is important. We must not conceal or dissociate ourselves from these historical truths. In this context, it is crucial to educate the younger generation, rather than obscure our history. Furthermore, I believe that repentance is necessary. The church, having played a significant role in the process of colonization, must renounce any attitudes or actions associated with colonialism. Finally, I must admit that I\u2019m not sure about reparation. Many have argued that those who have been harmed by colonialism in the past should receive some form of monetary and land reparation. I don\u2019t understand how a country would go about making adequate reparation to a people group who have been so deeply harmed as our Indigenous people. It has been heartbreaking, but monetary reparation, land acknowledgements, and other attempts to heal the wounds of the past have not been a healing balm. The wound is still open even though the Canadian government has attempted reparation. Many churches have also participated in reconciliation attempts and have fundamentally changed their approach to ministry in Indigenous contexts by not imposing Western values and approaches onto Indigenous people.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I strongly believe that we should not cancel our complicated past. We should not destroy historical symbols and people that point to our history. People and symbols can serve as a reminder of our past. We must not forget, lest we repeat the past. We must not forget, lest we lose the positive aspects of our history. \u00a0We must realize that the colonialists were flawed human beings like us. What will be said of our generation by those in the future? \u00a0Will we be treated as unkindly by those in future as many have been toward those of the past?<\/p>\n

Why do I believe this? My experiences in South Africa and Canada have made me acutely aware of the grim histories of both nations. I have also observed how both countries have attempted reparation, but neither has succeeded.\u00a0 So, while I am convinced that colonialism is wrong, apart from forgiveness and repentance, I\u2019m not convinced that reparation works. I would be happy to be convinced otherwise.<\/p>\n

How are my beliefs affirmed by reading Furedi?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would agree with Furedi\u2019s basic premise that warring against the past is a bad idea. He writes, \u201cThe War Against the Past directs its energies towards the objective of disconnecting the young from the experience and achievement of their ancestors. It seeks to undermine the intergenerational transmission of the values and ideals that are rooted in the past. Consequently, young people\u2019s understanding of who they are and where they come from is compromised.\u201d[1]<\/a> Increasingly, we see young people disconnected from the past, from their families, and from any kind of religious faith.<\/p>\n

Our society seems to have adopted what he calls a \u201cYear Zero\u201d idealogy. He writes, “What I characterize as Year Zero ideology is driven by twin objectives: both breaking with the past and denouncing the historical memory associated with it. This orientation is particularly directed at the legacy of Western civilization, which is condemned and whose protagonists are retrospectively tried, found guilty, and imaginatively punished.”[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Chillingly, I remembered my time in Cambodia walking through the Killing Fields and Toel Sleng prison. The agenda of Pol Pot\u2019s regime was to take Cambodia back to Year Zero. To do so he destroyed the educated class. He disconnected young people from their families and their faith. Wikipedia identifies that 1.5-2 million people were killed, nearly 25% of the population.[3]<\/a> Cambodia is still making its way out of the mess, with generations of people still hurting one another.<\/p>\n

How are my beliefs challenged by reading Furedi?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The tension between recognizing the atrocities of colonialism and honouring the positive aspects of our past remains a complex issue. In Chapter 3, Furedi discusses the history of Canada and highlights the various attempts by the Canadian government to address its historical guilt. He asserts that “the founding of Canada has been recast as a crime against humanity.” [4]<\/a> His interpretation of residential schools suggests that they were not genocidal but aimed to assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream society. Furedi writes, “Indian residential schools in Canada sought to turn those in its care into members of mainstream society. No doubt, this was a short-sighted and, at times, oppressive policy, but it did not seek to destroy Indigenous Canadians.” [5]<\/a><\/p>\n

It is important to note that the term “Indian” is outdated and has been replaced by “First Nations” or “Indigenous people.” Many survivors of residential schools would strongly disagree with Ferudi’s analysis. As a pastor, I have encountered individuals who bear the emotional scars of growing up in these brutal environments. I have met people who were forcibly removed from their families during the 1960s and placed in Caucasian homes. This was known as \u201cThe Sixties Scoop\u201d. Indigenous elders have recounted stories of their people receiving blankets intentionally infected with smallpox, aimed at causing harm. The history and the wounds are real, and Canadian history should not be interpreted in such an insensitive manner.<\/p>\n

Addressing these issues in a manner that is honest and conducive to healing presents significant challenges. Furedi’s cursory examination of these atrocities does not adequately recognize the extensive brutalization experienced by Indigenous peoples. Such an approach risks neglecting the harsh realities of the past and, as a result, may fail to effectively address the profound wounds that persist within our nation.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, this is a complex issue and in the future I would love to read more about it from a different perspective.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Frank Furedi, The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight for its History,<\/em> (Cambridge, UK: Polity Press: 2024), Kindle, 31.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Furedi, 96.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Cambodia Genocide, https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cambodian_genocide<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Frank Furedi, The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight for its History<\/em>, 111.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Furedi, 111.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What Do I Currently Believe About Colonialism? In reflecting upon this question, I have considered whether my age influences my perspectives on colonialism. I am keen to understand the viewpoints of younger generations on this matter. If colonialism is loosely understood as the invasion and settlement of one nation over another, accompanied by the domination […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":204,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3011,1890],"class_list":["post-39883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dglp03","tag-furedi","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/204"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39883"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40681,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39883\/revisions\/40681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}