From Victims to Colonizers: A Comparative Study of ‘Repatriated Indigenous Communities’ in Israel and Liberia

Spence, David M.

Abstract

Popular discourses have painted Israelis and Liberians as two peoples who fled persecution to return to their ancestral homelands. The oppression of blacks in America and Jews in Europe is without question. However, historical analysis indicates that the migration of Americo-Liberians to West Africa and European Jews to Palestine are unique examples of settler colonialism. Previous comparative work on Israel and Liberia is almost non-existent. Therefore, my writing attempts to fill the gap in academic literature. Throughout this article, I answer the question: “How and why did these two persecuted peoples perpetuate Western colonialism?” through the lens of comparative analysis and post-colonial theory. I hope that this work will open the door for a future comparative study of Israel and Liberia, black settler colonialism, and repatriated indigenous communities. Ultimately, I will demonstrate that, although they fled America and Europe for wholly legitimate reasons, Americo-Liberians and Israelis simultaneously adopted the role of colonial aggressors in West Africa and Palestine.

Citation

Spence, D. M. (2021). From Victims to Colonizers: A Comparative Study of ‘Repatriated Indigenous Communities’ in Israel and Liberia. SOAS journal of postgraduate research, 13(2019/2020), 153-171. https://doi.org/10.25501/SOAS.00035322

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jul 16, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 16, 2021
• Journal: SOAS journal of postgraduate research
• Print ISSN: 2631-3812
• Electronic ISSN: 2517-6226
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 2019/2020
• Pages: 153-171
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.25501/SOAS.00035322
• Keywords: Israel, Palestine, Liberia, indigenous, repatriation, colonialism
• Publisher URL: https://www.soas.ac.uk/research/soas-journals-and-books/soas-journal-postgraduate-research