In this episode, prolific author and historian Dr. Gerald Horne discusses some of the themes and details presented in his most recently published book 'The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, and Capitalism in 17th Century North America and the Caribbean.'
In the 17th century, major European powers were undergoing a massive colonization project on the North and South American continents, which inevitably resulted in the mass genocide and enslavement of countless indigenous peoples. Simultaneously during this same period, millions of Africans were kidnapped from their respective homeland, transported across the vast Atlantic Ocean, and then sold for staggeringly high profits, resulting in one the most economically profitable periods (for the major European powers involved) in human history.
In this conversation, we explore how these monumentally disruptive events in the 17th century informed the initial formation and development of capitalism as the dominant socio-economic system of our time. Also, we explore the socially-constructed and institutionally-enforced concept of race, and how the historical development of both of these concepts, capitalism and race, are inextricably connected to the "apocalypse of settler colonialism" that arrived on the shores of the American and African continents during this time period.
In essence, we explore these questions: How do the events presented above ultimately inform what is occurring presently in the world today? What is this thing we call "America" - and what was it founded on? Also, how can we begin to grapple with implications of this information on an individual, and collective level? We get into this and more in this episode.
Dr. Gerald Horne holds the Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston, is the author of more than thirty books and one hundred scholarly articles and reviews. His research has addressed issues of racism in a variety of relations involving labor, politics, civil rights, international relations and war. Dr. Horne received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. from Princeton University.
Episode Notes:
- Learn more about Dr. Horne at his university web page: https://bit.ly/2k7gJC8
- Purchase Dr. Horne's book 'The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism' here: https://bit.ly/2klqDzG
- Read a segment of 'The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism' here: https://bit.ly/2rPANNs
- The song featured in this episode is from the "This Is America" music video by Childish Gambino. Source: https://youtu.be/VYOjWnS4cMY