{"id":40552,"date":"2025-02-10T16:55:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T00:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=40552"},"modified":"2025-02-12T13:41:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T21:41:40","slug":"colonialism-and-keeping-is-away-from-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/colonialism-and-keeping-is-away-from-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Colonialism and Keeping Away from the Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this post, I will discuss my beliefs about Colonialism, then reading Frank Furedi\u2019s book discuss how those ideas were upheld and where they were challenged.\u00a0 I will end discussing by looking at an example of how people are \u201cWaring Against the Past.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Previous Knowledge\u00a0 – Colonialism <\/strong><\/p>\n

Colonialism\u2014To me it is the practice of a government expanding its rule in another area.\u00a0 For example, In the late 1400s Spain and Portugal split up colonizing the unknown world mostly Africa and the Americas through a treaty.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Based on my existing knowledge, I believe colonialism was a practice that seemed to take off in the late 1400\u2019s, being fueled by the church through the three papal bulls known as the doctrine of discovery.\u00a0 I believe the church was in favor of this idea seeing it as a means to spread the gospel<\/strong> to every tribe, tongue, and nation.\u00a0 Fueled by<\/strong> greed<\/strong>, the governments saw it as a way to increase their wealth.\u00a0 The Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans all were involved in expanding their government through taking over other counties. Slavery<\/strong> seems to coincide with colonialism. \u00a0If the people are not outright killed<\/strong> or enslaved, colonialism forces the culture<\/strong> of the invading power onto the existing inhabitants, thus transforming the territory into a sister colony.\u00a0 Colonialism in the 1900s was finally seen as an unacceptable practice<\/strong> and the foreign powers gradually left the host territories, often in worse conditions<\/strong>.\u00a0 Perhaps the only real benefit to colonialism was the spread of the Gospel.<\/p>\n

Gains from the Book<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be honest, given our previous knowledge term and the content of Frank Furedi\u2019s 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.\u00a0 However, the term decolonization or variation of appeared in the book more often than the term colonialism.\u00a0 When he does use the term, it is often used in a manner that has a negative connotation.\u00a0 Not that he himself sees it as negative but those who War Against the Past. For example, Furedi writes \u201cColonialism is frequently reinterpreted as the precursor of the Holocaust.\u00a0 Others suggest that \u2018colonialism was worse than Nazism\u2019\u2019[2]<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

It is Furedi\u2019s usage of the term that causes me to pause and consider if colonialism in the long run was actually more good<\/em> than evil<\/em>.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Did colonialism have other positive qualities?\u00a0 Perhaps things like scientific knowledge, technology, and medical advances were sped up. Furedi says \u201cDesignating 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. \u201c[3]<\/a> It would be interesting to engage in a conversation with scholars from various disciplines to obtain their opinions.<\/p>\n

Furedi\u2019s main concept of the book is that the past is under attack.\u00a0 I was reminded of Yascha Mounk\u2019s , The Identity Trap<\/em> \u00a0several times throughout the book.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Mounk talked about Critical Race Theory, the practice of cancellation and the reshaping of history and person\u2019s identities.\u00a0 I think these two would have a great conversation together.<\/p>\n

Distancing Society from History \u2013 Case Example<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout the book Furedi argues that people want to rewrite or even negate history through practices like Year Zero, anachronism, and social amnesia.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 He mentions the four phases of distancing society from their history.<\/p>\n

Phase one:<\/strong> The past as no longer relevant<\/p>\n

Phase two:<\/strong> The past as an obstacle to progress<\/p>\n

Phase three:<\/strong> The past as principally malevolent<\/p>\n

Phase four:<\/strong> The past as a clear and present danger![6]<\/a>\u00a0 (52-57)<\/p>\n

I do see this being displayed in our society today.\u00a0 Furedi opens his book discussing the removal of a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Portland Oregon in October 2020.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 There have been statues of civil war generals removed, military bases renamed and buildings or programs renamed such as Cleveland State University\u2019s Law school.\u00a0 The President of the University writes<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

My view is that changing our Law College name is not about erasing history<\/strong>; it is about understanding the inherent complexity of our history and reckoning with that history in the context of our present-day values.<\/strong> Chief Justice John Marshall\u2019s 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]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I believe Furedi would see this as an example of moral anachronism.\u00a0 The term \u2018moral anachronism\u2019 best captures the ritual humbling characters from the past.\u00a0 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]<\/a><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 All the while keeping them in the context of their time in history.\u00a0 Sometimes I will admit this is easier said than done in our current society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

[2]<\/a> Furedi, 73.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Furedi, 192.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time<\/em>, (New York, Penguin, 2023).<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Furedi, 62, 89, 213<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Furedi, 52-57.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Furedi, vi.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Cleveland State University, Law School Name Change, November 17, 2022, https:\/\/www.law.csuohio.edu\/meetcsulaw\/history\/namechange<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Furedi, 9-10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this post, I will discuss my beliefs about Colonialism, then reading Frank Furedi\u2019s book discuss how those ideas were upheld and where they were challenged.\u00a0 I will end discussing by looking at an example of how people are \u201cWaring Against the Past.\u201d[1] Previous Knowledge\u00a0 – Colonialism Colonialism\u2014To me it is the practice of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"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":[3402],"class_list":["post-40552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-furedi-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40552","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\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40552"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40578,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40552\/revisions\/40578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}