A Decolonial View

By Philemon Arens

The article that sparked my interest in the topic of my Master’s thesis deals with the idea of decolonial justice and the reparations proposed by the CARICOM Reparations Justice Program. The need for a decolonial justice approach is crucial, as the conceptualization of justice stems from a European epistemology created to justify colonial crimes. However, an honest conversation in a postcolonial context can only be held when the repressive system is abandoned. “Hence, to repair means to restore not only the legal dignity of the subject but to recognize the Other as equal” (Atiles-Osoria 2018: 364). A central notion is that “justice operates through recognition, generosity, and the ability to feel for/with the Other” (ibid., 350).

This idea is connected to Kora Andrieu’s outline of apologies: “the acknowledgment of a wrongdoing, the acceptance of one’s responsibility, and the expression of sorrow and regret for it” (2009: 5) with the aim of forgiveness. This can also be problematic when self-redemption becomes more critical than the role and voice of the victims (e.g., Czollek 2023). Andrieu touches upon this issue with the example of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), whose focus lay on “restoration and forgiveness,” pressuring victims to forgive (2009: 7). The TRC emphasized convincing victims to grant forgiveness, thereby granting amnesty to the perpetrators.(Bevernage 2011: 53).

Andrieu argues that reconciliation results from several factors such as “criminal justice policies, truth commissions, reparations, and reforms” (2009: 8). She points toward the power of apologies, when done properly, not to close the book but rather to open the conversation (ibid., 13). This aligns with the change in the power paradigm where the victim is now at the center and the perpetrator is at the margin (ibid.: 16-17). This connects to the idea that the non-beings are lifted from that realm into the seen, drawing on Fanon, Césaire, and Maldonado-Torres (Atiles-Osoria 2018: 350).

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission has also been criticized by notable scholars such as Jacques Derrida, who stated that the TRC could transform into a tool for “exercise in forgetting” (Bevernage 2011: 48), thus hindering a conversation about the past or opening a space for mourning. It can go so far as to exclude victims from the “new South Africa” if they are unwilling to forgive, blaming them for hindering the rebuilding of the nation (ibid.: 60), thus leaving almost no space for recognition of hurt or reparations.

References

Andrieu, Kora (2009) Sorry for the Genocide: How Public Apologies can help Promote National Reconciliation. In: Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 38(1) pp 3-23.

Atiles-Osoria, José (2018) Colonial state crimes and the CARICOM mobilization for reparation and justice. In: State Crimes 7(4), pp: 349-368.

Bevernage, Berber (2011) History, Memory, and State-Sponsored Violence: Time and Justice. London: Taylor & Francis Group.

Czollek, Max (2023) Versöhnungstheater. Munich: Carl Hanser Verlag.

By Dimitris Diamantis

The trilogy of The Lord of the Rings is a tale about the fight between good and evil. The Dark Lord Sauron has created an army to conquer the world. He needs the Ring of Power to accomplish his goal of obtaining the power he desires. At the same time, Frodo, the protagonist who has acquired the Ruling Ring, starts his journey to destroy it, accompanied by the Fellowship of the Ring, a small group of warriors.

Interestingly, we can trace some features of colonial narratives in this tale by examining the poem that is engraved on the Ring:

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.” [i]

By analyzing the poem, the reader can comprehend the purpose of the Ring. The Ring can give its owner the absolute power to dominate others. Hence, it can be seen as a metaphor for colonial rule, describing the domination of Europeans over the rest of the world. The Ring, as a symbol of absolute power, gives its creator the ability to conquer the world. Similarly, European nations relied on their weapons, economy, and civilization to dominate the rest of the world. [ii]

At the same time, they gave the illusion that others had a share of power, but they operated as Europe’s vassals. In other words, we could read this poem as a metaphor for European dominance over the world. Indeed, it is no coincidence that three of the main heroes come from the races being ruled. Thus, we could say that the three races in Tolkien’s work represent the populations and cultures of the continents that came under European rule and now try to oppose it by destroying the source of its power.

We can trace Mignolo’s concept of decolonialism within the tale of The Lord of the Rings. Mignolo claims that decolonialism not only refers to the independence movements of colonies, but also to the task of decoloniality: to decolonize knowledge and to delink it from the notion of European dominance. [iii] Furthermore, the distinction among races should not be overlooked, as the one assigned to destroy the Ring does not belong to those races. It is implied that these races have been corrupted by power. Thus, the hobbits could function as a symbol for the native populations who are often labeled as uncivilized [vi], whose existence and way of life are often ignored by dominant sources [v], just as the existence of hobbits is unknown even to the older and wiser beings such as the Ents:

“What are you, I wonder? I cannot place you. You do not seem to come in the old lists that I learned when I was young.”[vi]

[i] J. R. R. Tolkien and J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 2. ed.,
[renewed], The Lord of the Rings / by J. R. R. Tolkien 1 (Boston, Mass:
Houghton Mifflin, 1993). P. 66

[ii] Bill Ashcroft author, Postcolonial Studies: The Key Concepts, Third
edition, Routledge Key Guides (London; New York, New York:
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Routledge, 2013).P. 140

[iii] Walter D. Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh, On Decoloniality:
Concepts, Analytics, Praxis (Durham, UNITED STATES: Duke
University Press, 2018),http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/linne-
ebooks/detail.action?docID=5400137. P. 121

[iv] Bill Ashcroft author, Postcolonial Studies. P.174

[v] Diana Brydon, Peter Forsgren, and Gonlüg Fur, Concurrent
Imaginaries, Postcolonial Worlds: Toward Revised Histories (Boston,
UNITED STATES: BRILL, 2017),
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/linne-ebooks/detail.action?
docID=5024368. Pp. 40-41

[vi] J R R Tolkien (John Ronald Reuel), The Two Towers: Being the
Second Part of The Lord of the Rings, 2. ed.., Tolkien, J. R. R. (John
Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the Rings (1986) ; Pt. 2 (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Co, 1993). Pp. 67-8

By Alina Weig

Two years ago, I moved to Sweden – a white cis woman born and raised in Germany. Today, I want to reflect on my white experience as a migrant in Sweden.

To be clear from the beginning, this blog post aims to address readers with white privilege. To all BIPOC readers (Black, Indigenous, and people of color): I know you have better things to do than waste your time reading how a white person fails to understand their privilege (unless you want to be amused by the attempt). Most importantly, the upcoming lines should not be read as information on what white privilege means (as a white person, I am certainly not an expert on that), but rather as a personal reflection as part of my learning process. With this, I follow the call from many BIPOC voices, as articulated by Ijeoma Oluo [i] : “White people: I don’t want you to understand me better; I want you to understand yourselves. Your survival has never depended on your knowledge of white culture. In fact, it’s required your ignorance.” And sadly, but true, representing one central aspect of this privilege: I can talk about racism without being seen as hypersensitive or self-interested.

First, my identity as a German woman in Sweden was never challenged or seen as something inconsistent that had yet to make sense. My proclaimed reason for being here – to study – was never questioned. I am never under any pressure to disclose anything personal about myself to either justify my identity or my presence in this country. In situations where I prefer not to stand out, I can simply choose not to speak and blend in as a Swede.

I do not speak Swedish. Yet, I have never faced criticism or heard discussions about my “poor integration”. Even my admission that I am not making any effort to learn the language has not unsettled the “a priori integrated” label assigned to me. Additionally, most of my friends here are German, and our gatherings are not seen as a “parallel society” discussed as a challenge that needs to be solved.

Even if I don’t comply with all the ostensible norms of Swedish society, I am not perceived as a threat to Swedish identity. I am simply seen as an individual. For example, openly rejecting monogamy in my personal romantic relationship is sometimes even perceived as cool and revolutionary. In contrast, racialized people making the same decision are often discriminated against and judged for not complying with the values of Sweden as their “host country”. They also contend with the fear of unintentionally reinforcing racist stereotypes. Unlike them, I don’t have to be burdened with the responsibility of representing an entire group of people. When I forgot to update my address after moving or was confronted about speaking too loudly in public, it is seen as a personal oversight rather than a reflection of my German culture or all white people.

Alice Hasters [ii] made me aware of the absence of certain unsettling thoughts when faced with perceived rejection. She writes about her experience of wondering whether the seat next to her on the bus is empty because of her being black or simply by chance. Contrastingly, when I was refused in my attempt to open a bank account in Sweden, I didn’t have to ask myself, “Did I not get the account because I am white?”

I was never confronted in the university about paying tuition fee, and it is not just my German passport privilege that saves me from discrimination but also the intersection with my skin color since I am not expected of having to pay fees. Overall, I am just not marked as different. I understand why white people do not see themselves as migrants. Because our experience is informed by a prior belonging and the entitlement to inhabit foreign places.

I am aware that this is just a small part of what it means to be a white migrant in Sweden. However, the only thing I have certainly understood so far is that I will never get this right. And therefore, I am committed to be receptive and embrace any feedback I get from BIPOC regarding my unaware aspects of white privilege and any racist behavior – in this blog-post and beyond. Knowing that they are putting themselves at risk and insecurity, while the worst that happens to me is discomfort – so please, Alina – resist your white fragility! [iii] I try to remind myself of Layla Saad’s words “No matter how bad it feels to wake up to the pain, shame, and guilt of your racism, those feelings will never come anywhere close to the pain BIPOC experience as a result of your racism” [iv]. The least I can do is not stopping to think of myself in racial terms and pointing out my own and other white people racism, because BIPOC do not get a break from (my) white supremacy either – since they would even have to deal with us idiots complaining about reverse racism when they want to breathe by creating or joining BIPOC-only-spaces or wish to get a BIPOC teacher.

I’m a little worried of reading this blog post five years from now and feeling ashamed of how limited my understanding was back then. But honestly, I also wish that’s exactly what will happen, because then I’ll have moved on.

… and for all white people who are not yet comfortable with these lines looking critically at themselves, Mohamed Amjahid [v] has a fitting and somewhat ironic answer: “I can speak from my own experience: you get used to being studied and described”.

[i] Ijeoma Oluo (2018) So You Want to Talk About Race. Seal Press.

[ii] Alice Hasters (2019) Was weiße Menschen nicht über Rassismus
hören wollen: aber wissen sollten. Hanserblau.

[iii] Robin DiAngelo (2018) White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White
People to Talk About Racism. Beacon Press.

[iv] Layla Saad (2022) Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognize
Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World. Hachette
UK Distribution – Iwuk.

[v] Mohamed Amjahid (2021) Der weiße Fleck: Eine Anleitung zu
antirassistischem Denken. Piper. [my translation from German to
English]