What Is Colonialism?
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Welcome to the colonialism and neurodiversity section of ND Upgrade. This section is dedicated to exploring the impact of colonialism on neurodivergent individuals and communities.
This page aims to provide a basic introductory education on colonization which aims to provide the context needed to understand the intersection of neurodivergence within individual BIPOC communities more skillfully. By highlighting the intersection of colonialism and neurodiversity, we seek to foster a deeper understanding of the systemic challenges and resilience of affected communities.
Mechanisms
Imperialism - “The policy of extending the rule of a nation or empire over others and holding colonies.”
Colonialism across the world is typically introduced and upheld in a few key ways (“Reconciliation and Restitution” 2024):
Systemic and Controlled Starvation
Legalization of Land Theft
Control and Theft of Land
Population Control - Examples of these historically have included Indigenous residential schools in Canada and others inspired by them in US and Kenya. This served in part to prevent future generations from conceptualizing themselves as separate nations with land rights and notions of self-governance.
Extermination Examples of this include the Amritsar Massacre of 1919 (also known as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre).