This pamphlet contains two essays on antifascist theory and practice within settler-colonial societies, with a specific focus on Indigenous-settler solidarity praxis (written from an antifascist settler perspective) in what is presently called Canada. Both essays build on the premise that antifascist organizing is engaged in a three-way fight against the two pillars of settler-colonial hegemony: liberalism (bourgeois democracy) and the forces of white supremacy (today realized in insurgent far-right and fascist movements).
In the first essay, “We Settlers Face a Choice: Decolonization or White Supremacy,” Shaw examines the white supremacist aspects of settler-colonialism embedded in liberalism’s supposed “rule of law.” He concludes that antifascists should support Indigenous self-determination, for fascism in settler states cannot be defeated without overthrowing the conditions that make it possible: capitalism and settler-colonialism.
The second essay, “The Politics of the Blockade,” considers the politics of the Indigenous-settler solidarity movements in support of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs and land defenders in February 2020. Shaw proposes that there is a split between reformist and militant tendencies within the movement, and on this basis, he argues that the suppression of the blockades through injunctions tends to push militant tendencies back toward reformist-led organizations and actions.
Note that this pamphlet is currently available free of charge when one purchased Devin Zane Shaw's book The Philosophy of Antifascism (currently available for pre-order from leftwingbooks.net).
About the Author
Devin Zane Shaw teaches philosophy at Douglas College, British Columbia. He is author of several books, including Philosophy of Antifascism: Punching Nazis and Fighting White Supremacy (Rowman and Littlefield International, 2020).