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Colonialism and Colonization:
Colonialism and Colonization:
Colonialism is a political, economic, and social system through which powerful (wealthy, slave-state) nations assert control over other lands and peoples. At its core, colonialism functions as a system of oppression by imposing foreign rule, extracting resources, and reshaping societies to serve the interests of the colonizer. This domination is not only physical, through military force, land seizure, and economic exploitation, but also ideological/theological. Colonizers justify their control by constructing narratives that portray themselves as superior, “civilizing,” or destined to rule. These narratives work to legitimize hierarchies (oligarchies and monarchies) that place colonized peoples at the bottom and normalize the unequal distribution of power, wealth, and autonomy. As an institution upheld by our society, colonialism also reinforces and expands patriarchal and white supremacist structures. European colonial powers often imposed gender norms rooted in their own patriarchal traditions, undermining or destroying existing gender systems/beliefs that existed in their culture prior to being colonized. Many Indigenous communities had more fluid, egalitarian, or matriarchal social arrangements prior to colonization by Europeans. Colonial administrations, missionaries, and legal systems replaced those previously held cultures with rigid gender binaries, male-dominated governance, and patriarchal & purity family laws. Women and gender-diverse people in colonized regions were pushed into subordinate roles, denied authority, and framed as needing the “protection” or control of men, strengthening patriarchal power both locally and globally. This domination by male-counterparts and rape culture that existed and emerged from colonialism, has created irreparable damage and suffering of indigenous communities and the continued replication of those constructs on & in oppressed communities.
Colonialism is also closely tied to Christian (Dominance of Religious Ideals) nationalism and expansion. Missionaries and Crusades activity often accompanied colonial expansion, positioning Christianity as a marker and savior of “civilization.” This religious expansion and domination has existed in aspects of European, and therefore American, colonization and war, even today. Colonized peoples were pressured or coerced to convert, and colonial governments used Christian moral frameworks to justify domination, suffering, enslavement, and death/genocide. This fusion of religious mission and national power helped cultivate a sense of divine entitlement. European nations saw themselves as chosen to spread their faith and culture, reinforcing their national identity through religious superiority. Christian nationalism within colonialism therefore served two main purposes: it legitimized conquest as a sacred duty, and it provided ideological tools to reshape colonized societies in ways that aligned with the cultural and political interests of the colonizer. Together, these dynamics illustrate how colonialism operates not just as historical events, but as a far-reaching institution that is upheld today. It organizes the societal power and access around racial, gendered, and religious hierarchies that continue to replicate their desired global power structure.
Systems of Oppression: Built through the continued societal uplifting of the social constructs that protect and empower the oppression and the discriminatory and violent practices associated with them.
Oppression is a way of keeping specific people- defined often by social constructs- that lower social status, lateral policing of identity and behaviors- based on a desired appearance or behaviors, creates inequities that create a skewed social dynamics and impact all people. Whether or not we believe it, there are identities we carry that we may never know due to our ability to feel safe in expressing those identities freely in our current society/community. That pressure to behave and express your identities in a certain way, is part of the oppressionary systems themselves. We may feel pressured in participating in specific systems in order to keep or gain social power; sometimes our identities make it so that we fit more 'in' or 'out' of the system even with our expression of self being true. That doesn't make the identity we hold inherently bad or good, but instead that society has assigned attributes and experiences to those identities without our consent or space for personal definitions of identity. We all hold identities that oppress us, but the way in which we participate in oppression of others, defines the true motivations of a person when it comes to their identities and their appearance.
Are ways in which we have structured our society to cater to a specific kind of format for us to run on; even-though, it may be an unspoken and interpretable format per se.
Are ways in which we have structured our society to cater to a specific kind of format for us to run on; even-though, it may be an unspoken and interpretable format per se.
First we must understand what kind of systems we are looking at?
Patriarchy has been founded on the preconceived notion to sex differences at birth and assumed placement in breeding or procreation for future generations, and the assumed placement of a labor source or provider. While this notion has been getting very old by this time, we have let it up hold several households and leave many spending years in emotional aguish over their true wants and the systems' need to stay alive. If men are home bodies who take care of the young, as their female partner have a larger corporate jobs that provide for the family you are actively breaking this norm. However, don't misguide your sense of praise for breaking away from the norm. The praise goes to those who also teach their children not to rely on a specific sex or gender to provide for emotional needs etc. There is a lot in this world that caters to the male ideology, but in many ways it dis-serves the male population the most by inappropriate expectations and emotional strangulation. This does not negate that the tole the Patriarchy has put on AFAB people and/or women is unattainable by most, and has caused death, abuse, and manipulation in the name of gender superiority. Sexual domination has always been apart of this historical fantasy, but the patriarchy uses this assumed domination to abuse and silence women all the time. Rape and abuse culture is an egregious act and it's important that we take the energy to deal with our biggest predators in the community.
However our systems journey does not lead us just to Patriarchal Systems, but also Racist Systems that further upheld the white male agenda for power and profits. We saw this throughout the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Fugitive Slave Laws, Emancipation Proclamation, and Jim Crow Laws that have only evolved in their ability to access black communities and gerrymander their counties. Racism has many different ways of manifesting itself in the psychology of white individuals. Racism is something every white person faces, because our environment inherently works for us. It makes sure that we are safe; instead of fearing us and therefore endangering us. Racism and Slavery gave white men with power the ability to control and manipulate the ways in which voting and many other forms of freedom were withheld. Black Communities have faced the most extreme of attacks in our nation's history. It's our job as people today to combat our learned racism and other social systems, so that people can be in this place of freedom with the feeling of actually feeling safe, protected, and free to do so as they please (with reason).
Surveillance has long been a core tool of colonial power, used historically to monitor and control colonized populations, suppress resistance, and maintain administrative dominance. Colonial governments relied on censuses, pass systems, identity documents, and police informants to track movement, gather intelligence, and regulate access to land and labor. These practices created asymmetrical visibility: colonizers observed, categorized, and disciplined, while colonized people were denied privacy and autonomy. In modern contexts, this legacy continues through digital surveillance, counterterrorism frameworks, and data-driven policing that disproportionately target Indigenous communities and formerly colonized regions. Contemporary surveillance technologies, such as biometric databases, facial recognition, and expansive monitoring of communication, often replicate colonial dynamics by treating certain groups as inherently suspicious or requiring heightened control.
There is more research being done to finish this page, please be patient with us.
There is more research being done to finish this page, please be patient with us.
If you would like to help us write about commonly silenced areas or personal experiences you may have with these topics, contact us at thisisactivism2023@gmail.com or fill out our Comments page. We want our website to be a continuous growth of knowledge to share with each other in a positive way. There are so many things we don't talk about and we should!
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