Not a Metaphor: Immigrant of Color Autoethnography as a Decolonial Move

Abstract

This essay argues that if “decolonization in the settler colonial context must involve the repatriation of (Native) land”(p. 7), then autoethnography committed to decolonization should first and foremost center Native struggles over land and life. For this task and given my own position as a postcolonial immigrant on Native lands, I elaborate an immigrant of color autoethnography to demystify the discourses that privilege select postcolonial immigrants such as myself over Indigenous people and render me as a desirable minority and settler. I start this project unpacking my journey as an international student through the higher education apparatus in the United States as I narrate how the material structures and academic knowledge that circulate within the university (re)produce the devaluation of indigeneity. Then I shift my attention to my time in Albuquerque, a border city that excludes Indigenous people through a host of policies even as international students are welcomed to make home in the city. Against these two sites, I turn to (un)Occupy Albuquerque to map coalition possibilities between postcolonial immigrants and Indigenous people. Together, these three sites allow for an understanding of the ideological and material structures that rationalize (and disrupt) settler colonialism and Native dispossession.

African Studies Keyword: Autoethnography

“…For example, many feminists hold that "our personal experience is inseparable from the political reality which we seek to understand and to change," a tenet that "runs counter to the separation between experience and theoretical distance which the categories the field and the academy respectively imply" (D'Amico -Samuels 1991:68). Recent work has also combined postcolonial theory with autoethnography to argue for decolonizing the academy (D'Amico -Samuels 1991;Moreira 2009;Schmidt 2010;Chandrashekar 2018;Chawla & Atay 2018;Dutta 2018;Toyosaki 2018;Sobers 2019), and, as we discuss further below, we see this as a particularly promising research area for would-be Africanist autoethnographers.…”

The Roles of Settings in Supporting Immigrants’ Resistance to Injustice and Oppression: A Policy Position Statement by the Society for Community Research and Action

“…Settings should make sure that all members’ voices are heard and that their strengths are built upon as processes are developed and actions are taken (Ginwright, 2018 ). This likely means decentering Western ways of knowing and challenging existing structures of settings that may be neocolonial (Chandrashekar, 2018 ; Maldonado‐Torres, 2016 ; Tuck & Yang, 2012 ). Everyone within settings must take care to make space for those typically ignored, which tend to be women of color, those who are queer, those with a disability, those who are trans or non‐binary, those with a criminal history, and children and youth.…”

“…Decolonization offers a fundamental shift in perspectives on justice and challenges neocolonial structures (Tuck & Yang, 2012 ). It draws attention to intersectionality, calling on immigrants, allies, and settings to reflect on power and privilege and how they participate in and resist colonialism (Chandrashekar, 2018 ). Through this framework, settings can challenge the status quo, build alliances among all who are oppressed, and foster resistance.…”

Colonised minds and community psychology in the academy: Collaborative autoethnographic reflections

“…As Campbell and Morris (2017) argue, the roles and responsibilities of researchers can make it difficult for them to challenge oppressive structures and promote social change, yet if we are to promote a CP conception of social justice, we must avoid colluding with oppressive systems (or becoming ensnared in “ideological psychological contract breach”; see Jones & Griep, 2018). We were inspired, in part, by Chandrashekar (2018), who uses AE as a means to explore his position as a postcolonial, “privileged” immigrant of color. AE allows him to transcend identity politics (and the production of “multiple binaries”) and reflect on the ways he may be both privileged and oppressed as a postcolonial immigrant of color on Native lands, examining the possibilities for coalition between immigrants and Indigenous people.…”