Settler Colonialism

“Lorenzo Veracini advances the field of settler colonial studies with a brilliant body of works that includes his seminal Settler Colonialism of 2010. Perhaps unfashionably but no less urgently, this current expanded edition of 2024 focuses on settler societies. He analyzes our pathological historical violence, systemic domination, ongoing disavowals, and more, to suggest a way forward: what might a transformative politics of recognition mean?”

— Susan Slyomovics, University of California Los Angeles, USA.

“Lorenzo Veracini’s book introduced me and endless number of scholars and students to the settler colonial paradigm. It still is the best introduction to settler colonial studies…This theoretical overview is the essential guide for anyone wishing to understand the longevity and relevance of the settler colonial condition for our global society in the past, the present and the future.”

— Ilan Pappé, University of Exeter, UK.

“In these times where the concept of ‘settler colonialism’ is hyper-politicised, it is important to have books marked by scholarship and rigour, but which remain, nonetheless, articulated to an anti-colonial political horizon. This kind of writing has always distinguished the foundational and indispensable work of Lorenzo Veracini.”

— Ghassan Hage, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Exploring the history and politics of a powerful and long-lasting idea: the creation and maintenance of European worlds outside of Europe. This textbook provides a broad overview of settler colonialism in the modern era. The author outlines how the founding of new societies was envisaged and practiced around the world, illustrating the specific ways in which settler colonial projects tried to establish ideal and regenerated political bodies.

With an updated introduction and an additional chapter examining decolonisation and Indigenous recognition, this second edition brings the study of settler colonialism up to the present day.

Lorenzo Veracini teaches history and politics at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. His research focuses on the comparative history of colonial systems. He has written and co-edited several books on the topic, including The Settler Colonial Present (2015), The World Turned Inside Out (2021), and Colonialism: A Global History (2022). Lorenzo also manages the settler colonial studies blog and was Founding Editor of Settler Colonial Studies.