Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Settler colonialism is when a group of people come to a new place and take over the land and resources that belong to the people who already live there. They often do this by being violent and hurting or killing the original people. The settlers then try to erase the culture and traditions of the original people and replace them with their own. This is very unfair and mean, and it happens because the settlers think they are better than the original people. Settler colonialism is different from regular colonialism because it involves completely getting rid of the original people and their culture. This is very bad and has happened in many places, like Algeria.
Settler colonialism is a system of oppression that aims to displace a population of a nation, often indigenous people, and replace it with a new settler population. This system is based on genocide and colonialism and finds its foundations on a system of power perpetuated by settlers that represses indigenous people’s rights and cultures by erasing it and replacing it with their own.
Settler colonialism is based on the theft and exploitation of lands and resources that belong to the indigenous. It is often Eurocentric, assuming that Europeans and their values are superior to other indigenous cultures, and that it is legitimate to destroy indigenous people’s rights by stealing their lands and erasing their traditions.
Settler colonialism differs from classic colonialism in that it aims to completely destroy and replace indigenous people and their cultures by the settler’s own in order to establish themselves as the rightful inhabitants. The different forms of settler colonialism include apartheid, military occupation, national policies of assimilation, or biological warfare.
An example of settler colonialism can be found in the history of Algeria. Between 1830 and 1962, Algeria was considered a “French Department.” The French’s aim was to make Algeria a part of France by erasing the Indigenous’ rights and displacing them from their lands. Atrocious crimes were committed by French colonial authorities in Algeria throughout the 132 years of colonization. Five million indigenous Algerians were killed, and crimes including torture, murder, rape, the displacement of indigenous people, nuclear tests, land theft, and denial of the most basic rights were committed against the Indigenous population.
A lot of Algerian cities saw their names changed in order to be “Francized” (i.e. forced to adopt French customs and the French language). This demonstrates that the main objective of settler colonialism is to totally erase the culture of indigenous’ people and destroy their legacy.
The French laws that applied in Algeria discriminated against Indigenous nations and privileged the white Europeans rights over those of the majority Indigenous nations. Different laws applied to Muslims in Algeria, whom for example were not allowed to vote, whereas white French people were allowed to.
Overall, settler colonialism is a system of oppression that aims to displace and replace indigenous populations with settlers. It is based on the theft and exploitation of lands and resources that belong to the indigenous and is often Eurocentric. The example of Algeria illustrates the devastating effects of settler colonialism on indigenous populations, including the erasure of their culture and the denial of their basic rights.