Solidarity with those who continue to challenge and resist the violence of colonialism

The Department of Gender Studies at Queen’s University stands in solidarity with those who have experienced the violence of British colonialism around the world, and with those who are being attacked for speaking out against it (here is just one recent example). As the world marks the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we urge our students, colleagues, and community to reflect on the colonial atrocities of the British monarchy. Since Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1952, dozens of nations colonized by the British Empire have gained independence and continue to rebuild their societies. Yet, the effects of colonialism continue to be felt by Black, brown and Indigenous folks in Canada and everywhere.

As a department that is committed to challenging empire, racial capitalism, colonialism, cisheteropatriarchy, ableism, and other systems of oppression and exploitation, we research and teach these histories and their continuities every day in our courses. Students interested in learning more can take courses with us such as GNDS 212 Racism, Colonialism and Resistance; BLCK 200 Introduction to Black Studies and Liberation; GNDS 312 Black Feminisms; GNDS 432 Settler Colonialism and Indigenous Politics; and BLCK 480: Black Atlantic Studies, to name just a few (more information about these and other courses can be found here and here).

Below is a brief selection from resources that we teach and discuss in our courses. We would recommend them for anyone wishing to learn more about British colonialism, its violent legacy, and historical and contemporary struggles to dismantle racial and colonial hierarchies.

Gargi Bhattacharyya, Adam Elliott-Cooper, Sita Balani, Kerem Nişancıoğlu, Kojo Koram, Dalia Gebrial, Nadine El-Enany and Luke de Noronha, Empire's Endgame: Racism and the British State

Paul Gilroy, There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack

Patricia Monture-Angus, Journeying Forward: Imagining First Nations' Independence

Walter Rodney, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

Edward Said, Orientalism

Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples

Sunera Thobani, Exalted Subjects: Studies in the Making of Race and Nation in Canada