Abstract

European colonial conquest included many instances of indigenous peoples being exterminated. Cases where invading commercial stock farmers clashed with hunter-gatherers were particularly destructive, often resulting in a degree of dispossession and slaughter that destroyed the ability of these societies to reproduce themselves. The experience of aboriginal peoples in the settler colonies of southern Africa, Australia, North America, and Latin America bears this out. The frequency with which encounters of this kind resulted in the annihilation of forager societies raises the question of whether these conflicts were inherently genocidal, an issue not yet addressed by scholars in a systematic way.

“By highlighting the destructive impact of commercial stock farming and its connection to international markets, Genocide on Settler Frontiers draws attention to a neglected yet crucial element in the fatal nexus between colonialism and genocide. Covering cases in Africa, Australia, and North America, this is an original and much-needed comparative volume.”  ·  A. Dirk Moses, European University Institute, Florence

“This collection brings cutting-edge research into the history of genocidal situations in southern Africa, Australia, and North America by younger as well as established scholars, illuminating the history of not only modernity but also world history.”  ·  John Docker, University of Sydney

“The book is on the cutting edge of scholarship on settler genocide. The focus on the conflict between hunter-gatherers and commercial stock farmers advances our understanding of these murderous conflicts.”  ·  Norman Naimark, Stanford University

Mohamed Adhikari is an Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Cape Town.