Indigenism
Encyclopedia
Indigenism, Native nationalism, or Indigenous nationalism is a kind of ethnic nationalism
emphasizing the group's indigeneity
to their homeland. This may be embraced by post-colonial anarchism
as well as in neo-völkisch or national mysticist
nationalism building on historical or pseudohistorical claims of ethnic continuity.
movements usually go by the name indigenism (notably in South America and in Mexico
, "indigenismo
" is a political force), the term autochthonism is encountered for Eastern European and Central Asian nationalisms. The term indigenism(o) as used in the Americas was popularized by Guillermo Bonfil Batalla (1935-1991) in Latin America in the 1970s to 1980s, and in the 1980s to 1990s by Ward Churchill
(b. 1947) in the United States (From a Native Son
).
The question of who is indigenous may be less than straightforward, depending on the region under consideration. Thus, for the New World
, in the Americas
as well as in Australia, the question is rather straightforward, while it is less easy to answer in the case of South Africa
.
"Autochthonism" is an issue especially in those parts of Europe formerly under Ottoman
control, i.e. the Balkans
and Romania
(see rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire
). Originating in the 19th century, autochthonist nationalism affected the area throughout the 20th century.
Writing in 1937, Nichifor Crainic
celebrated Gândirea
s role in making nationalism and Orthodoxy priorities in Romania's intellectual and political life:
Ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism is a form of nationalism wherein the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity. Whatever specific ethnicity is involved, ethnic nationalism always includes some element of descent from previous generations and the implied claim of ethnic essentialism, i.e...
emphasizing the group's indigeneity
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
to their homeland. This may be embraced by post-colonial anarchism
Post-colonial anarchism
Post-colonial anarchism is a new tendency within the larger anarchist movement. The name is taken from an essay by Roger White, one of the founders of Jailbreak Press and a well known activist in North American APOC circles...
as well as in neo-völkisch or national mysticist
National mysticism
National mysticism is a form of nationalism which raises the nation to the status of numen or divinity. Its best known instance is Germanic mysticism, which gave rise to occultism under the "Third Reich". The idea of the nation as a divine entity was presented by Johann Gottlieb Fichte...
nationalism building on historical or pseudohistorical claims of ethnic continuity.
Definition
While New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
movements usually go by the name indigenism (notably in South America and in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, "indigenismo
Indigenismo
Indigenismo is a Latin American idea and movement pressing for a greater social and political role for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and the revindication of indigenous rights and including compensation for past wrongdoings of the colonial and republican states...
" is a political force), the term autochthonism is encountered for Eastern European and Central Asian nationalisms. The term indigenism(o) as used in the Americas was popularized by Guillermo Bonfil Batalla (1935-1991) in Latin America in the 1970s to 1980s, and in the 1980s to 1990s by Ward Churchill
Ward Churchill
Ward LeRoy Churchill is an author and political activist. He was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1990 to 2007. The primary focus of his work is on the historical treatment of political dissenters and Native Americans by the United States government...
(b. 1947) in the United States (From a Native Son
From a Native Son
From a Native Son: Selected Essays on Indigenism, 1985–1995 is a 1996 book by Ward Churchill. It is a collection of 23 previously published essays on various topics relevant to the indigenous peoples of the Americas in relation to their experience of being colonized...
).
The question of who is indigenous may be less than straightforward, depending on the region under consideration. Thus, for the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, in the Americas
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
as well as in Australia, the question is rather straightforward, while it is less easy to answer in the case of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
"Autochthonism" is an issue especially in those parts of Europe formerly under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
control, i.e. the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
(see rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire
Rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire
The rise of the Western notion of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire eventually caused the break-down of the Ottoman millet concept...
). Originating in the 19th century, autochthonist nationalism affected the area throughout the 20th century.
Writing in 1937, Nichifor Crainic
Nichifor Crainic
Nichifor Crainic was a Romanian writer, editor, philosopher, poet and theologian famed for his traditionalist and antisemitic activities...
celebrated Gândirea
Gândirea
Gândirea , known during its early years as Gândirea Literară - Artistică - Socială , was a Romanian literary, political and art magazine.- Overview :Founded by Cezar Petrescu and D. I...
s role in making nationalism and Orthodoxy priorities in Romania's intellectual and political life:
Movements
- Indigenist anarchismAnarchismAnarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
- Pan-SlavismPan-SlavismPan-Slavism was a movement in the mid-19th century aimed at unity of all the Slavic peoples. The main focus was in the Balkans where the South Slavs had been ruled for centuries by other empires, Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice...
: Mikhail BakuninMikhail BakuninMikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin was a well-known Russian revolutionary and theorist of collectivist anarchism. He has also often been called the father of anarchist theory in general. Bakunin grew up near Moscow, where he moved to study philosophy and began to read the French Encyclopedists,... - Post-colonial anarchismPost-colonial anarchismPost-colonial anarchism is a new tendency within the larger anarchist movement. The name is taken from an essay by Roger White, one of the founders of Jailbreak Press and a well known activist in North American APOC circles...
: Anarchist People of ColorAnarchist People of ColorAnarchist People of Color is an American anarchist/anti-authoritarian group created to address issues of race, anti-authoritarianism and people of color struggle politics within the context of anarchism, and to increase/create political space for people of color.Initially started as an e-mail list...
, Black anarchismBlack anarchismBlack anarchism opposes the existence of the state and the subjugation and domination of people of color, and favors a non-hierarchical organization of society. Black anarchists seek to abolish white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, and the state...
, AfrocentrismAfrocentrismAfrocentrism is cultural ideology mostly limited to the United States, dedicated to the history of Black people a response to global racist attitudes about African people and their historical contributions by revisiting this history with an African cultural and ideological center... - Anarchism in AfricaAnarchism in AfricaAnarchism in Africa refers both to purported anarchic political organization of some traditional African societies and to modern anarchist movements in Africa.- Anarchism and traditional cultures :Sam Mbah and I. E...
: NégritudeNégritudeNégritude is a literary and ideological movement, developed by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politiciansin France in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and the Guianan Léon Damas.The Négritude... - Indigenous American: Dylan MinerDylan MinerDylan A. T. Miner is an artist, activist, and art historian who focuses on Indigenous and anti-colonial issues. Miner is from Michigan and is of Métis descent....
(MétisMétisA Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
), Mujeres CreandoMujeres CreandoMujeres Creando is a Bolivian anarcha-feminist collective that participates in a range of anti-poverty work, including propaganda, street theater and direct action. The group was founded by María Galindo, Mónica Mendoza y J.Paredes in 1992 and members including two of Bolivia's only openly lesbian...
(BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
), Milagro SalaMilagro SalaMilagro Sala is a leader of the Tupac Amaru neighborhood association, part of the Association of State Workers of Jujuy, and a leading figure in the Movimiento piquetero of Argentina.-Early life:...
(ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
)
- Pan-Slavism
- "Continuity theories":
- AssyrianismAssyrianismThe term Assyrianism refers to Assyrian nationalism which increased in popularity in the late 19th century in a climate of increasing ethnic and religious persecution of the indigenous Assyrians of the Middle East....
- Croatian Illyrian movementIllyrian movementThe Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
- Finnic Settlement continuity theory: see Baltic FinnsBaltic FinnsThe Baltic Finns are a historical linguistic group of peoples of northern Europe whose modern descendants include the Finns proper, Karelians , Izhorians, Veps, Votes, Livonians and Estonians who speak Baltic-Finnic languages and have inhabited the Baltic Sea region for 3,000 years according to...
- Gaul-French continuity theory (FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Germanic-German continuity theory (Rudolf MuchRudolf MuchRudolf Much , the son of archaeologist Matthäus Much, was an Austrian Germanist, considered one of the founding fathers of Germanic studies....
, Otto HöflerOtto HöflerOtto Höfler was an Austrian scholar of German studies. He was a student of Rudolf Much, and adopted Much's "Germanic Continuity Theory," which argued for continuity of ancient Germanic culture into present-day German folklore...
) - continuity theories in Kurdish nationalismKurdish nationalismKurdish nationalism is the political movement that holds that the Kurdish people are a nation deserving of a sovereign homeland, Kurdistan out of the territories where Kurdish people form a majority...
- Illyrian-Albanian continuity theory: see origin of the Albanians & Albanian nationalismAlbanian nationalismAlbanian nationalism is a general grouping of nationalist ideas and concepts among ethnic Albanians that were first formed in the beginning of 19th century in what was called the Albanian National Awakening...
- Lusitanianism (PortuguesePortuguese peopleThe Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
nationalism) - Macedonism (Macedonian Slavs)
- Sarmatian-Polish continuity theory: see SarmatismSarmatism"Sarmatism" is a term designating the dominant lifestyle, culture and ideology of the szlachta of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Together with "Golden Liberty," it formed a central aspect of the Commonwealth's culture...
- Slovenian Venetic theoryVenetic theoryThe Venetic theory is a widely diffused autochthonist theory of the origin of Slovenes which denies the Slavic settlement of the Eastern Alps in the 6th century, claiming that proto-Slovenes have inhabited the region since ancient times. Although it has been rejected by scholars, it has been an...
- continuity theories in Syrian nationalismSyrian nationalismSyrian nationalism refers to the nationalism of Syria, or the Fertile Crescent as a cultural or political entity. It should not be confused with the Arab nationalism that is the official state doctrine of the Syrian Arab Republic's ruling Baath Party, nor should it be assumed that Syrian...
. - Paleolithic Continuity TheoryPaleolithic Continuity TheoryThe Paleolithic Continuity Theory , since 2010 relabelled as the Paleolithic Continuity Paradigm , is a hypothesis suggesting that the Proto-Indo-European language can be traced back to the Upper Paleolithic, several millennia earlier than the Chalcolithic or at the most Neolithic estimates in other...
, Uralic Continuity Theory (Mario AlineiMario AlineiMario Alinei is Professor Emeritus at the University of Utrecht, where he taught from 1959 to 1987, currently living in Impruneta, Italy. He is founder and editor of Quaderni di semantica, a journal of theoretical and applied semantics...
) - Proto-Vedic Continuity theory (Hindu nationalismHindu nationalismHindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expressions of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of historical India...
) - Turkish Anatolianism
- English nationalistEnglish nationalismEnglish nationalism refers to a nationalist outlook or political stance applied to England. In a general sense, it comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for English culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in England and the English people...
support for the theory that English is Indigenous to Britain
- Assyrianism
See also
- Definitions and identity of indigenous peoplesDefinitions and identity of indigenous peoplesThe term indigenous people can be used in the context of with various concepts of indigeneity.Key to a contemporary understanding of 'indigeneity' is the political role an ethnic group plays, for all other criteria usually taken to denote indigenous groups can to a greater or lesser extent also be...
- Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesThe United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its 62nd session at UN Headquarters in New York City on 13 September 2007....
- Richard J. F. Day
- Multiethnic Indigenist PartyMultiethnic Indigenist PartyThe Multiethnic Indigenous Party is a regional Nicaraguan political party founded in 1998 by the PLC dissident and Maranatha pastor Rayfield Hodgson, governor of the South Atlantic Autonomous Region from 1994 to 1998. The PIM contested in the 1998 Atlantic Coast Regional Elections and won 7 seats ...
- Identity politicsIdentity politicsIdentity politics are political arguments that focus upon the self interest and perspectives of self-identified social interest groups and ways in which people's politics may be shaped by aspects of their identity through race, class, religion, sexual orientation or traditional dominance...
- Indianism (arts), Brazil
External links
- http://indigenist.blogspot.com/ (South American "indigenism")
- Indigenism at the Infoshop OpenWiki