Why did a turn of "whiteness" occur in the nineteenth and twentieth century? And why at this particular time? In the following, this will be observed in more detail. This essay will therefore answer the question of why settler colonial nations did become more concerned with their ‘white’ identities around the turn of the twentieth century. Therefore, the paper first deals with the origin and the rise of scientific racism and explains how its development influenced the construction of white identities. Second, the essay briefly reviews immigration trends in colonial countries and looks at their contribution to the life of the white settlers. The third chapter deals with examples of anti-immigration legislation and policies that aimed to restrict non-white immigration, which to some extent emerged from the aspects of the previous two sections. In conclusion, the final chapter draws upon the entire topic and summarises the discussed points.
William Edward Burghardt DuBois (W.E.B. DuBois) was an African American historian, sociologist, and journalist. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1900, he predicted that racial segregation would be the key issue of the twentieth century. The above quote from 1910 comes from the New York magazine The Independent, wherein DuBois reported on ‘his perception of a sudden change of consciousness sweeping the world’ in his article ‘The Souls of the White Folk’. Through his reference to the sudden awareness of ‘whiteness’ among whites, DuBois pointed to the emergence of a new subjective form of identification. At the turn of the century, societies underwent a sudden racial transformation. DuBois was, in a sense, one of the first to call attention to this dynamic of a ‘new religion of whiteness’ early on. He argued that while there had been colour consciousness in earlier years, this discovery of people’s ‘whiteness’ and the accompanying ‘colour line’ was particularly a ninetieth and twentieth-century thing.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The Rise of 'Whiteness' in Settler Colonial Nations
- The Rise of Scientific Racism
- Immigration Trends in Colonial Countries
- Anti-Immigration Legislation and Policies
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to explain why settler colonial nations became more concerned with their "white" identities around the turn of the twentieth century. It explores the development of scientific racism, the impact of immigration trends, and the emergence of anti-immigration legislation and policies.
- The rise of scientific racism and its impact on the construction of white identities
- Immigration trends in colonial countries and their contribution to the lives of white settlers
- Anti-immigration legislation and policies aimed at restricting non-white immigration
- The role of fear and anxieties in shaping white identities
- The connection between the settler colonial project and the construction of white supremacy
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- The Rise of Scientific Racism: This chapter explores the origins and development of scientific racism, highlighting its influence on the construction of white identities. It discusses the emergence of evolutionary theory and social Darwinism, which provided a framework for justifying racial hierarchies.
- Immigration Trends in Colonial Countries: This chapter examines the impact of immigration trends on settler colonial nations. It focuses on the global migration patterns during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, specifically highlighting the influx of non-white immigrants to Australia, South Africa, and other colonies.
- Anti-Immigration Legislation and Policies: This chapter provides examples of anti-immigration legislation and policies that aimed to restrict non-white immigration. It examines the motivations behind these policies, which often stemmed from anxieties about competition in the labor market, political dominance, and the threat of "miscegenation".
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The essay focuses on key topics like settler colonialism, white identity, scientific racism, immigration, anti-immigration policies, racial hierarchies, and the threat of "miscegenation".
- Quote paper
- Maximilian Scheller (Author), 2023, Why did settler colonial nations become more concerned with their "white" identities around the turn of the twentieth century?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1359351
