By: Sude Guvendik, Staff Writer
Content Warning: Mentions of genocide, violence, eugenics, and rape.
Dehumanization is a concept that justifies treating a group of people as inhuman, portraying them as “less than,” or even a criminal based on defined characteristics such as gender, ideology, skin colour, ethnicity, religion, or age. It erases moral concerns when committing crimes against humanity, and as such, has been a tool used to “justify” violence against those dehumanized. At the heart of discussions about marginalization, we must talk about how easily dehumanization occurs. Historical colonial powers employed dehumanizing narratives to justify their actions, creating stereotypes that reduce entire communities. This dehumanization often permeated literature, art, media, and even the sciences, reinforcing a hierarchy that prioritizes colonialism. It may seem straightforward to recognize this and condemn it, but in reality, it’s much more insidious and can be difficult to spot.
Throughout history, oppressive regimes have used dehumanization as a way to justify their actions. The Holocaust serves as a chilling example, where Nazis labeled Jews as “Untermenschen,” equating them with subhuman entities. Similar patterns were seen in the Rwanda genocide, where the Hutu dehumanized the Tutsi by referring to them as “cockroaches,” or the genocide of Muslim Bosnians, where Serbians referred to them as “aliens.” Media portrayals of Indigenous people are another example of colonialism acting as a mode of dehumanization. From cartoons to Hollywood, these portrayals have favoured the narratives of European colonizers and reduced Indigenous communities to mere stereotypes, minimizing their complex histories through the colonial lens. Degrading language and imagery has been used to justify atrocities by painting communities as less than human, including the depiction of Indigenous people as “savages” and the characterization of Bosnians as “aliens.”
In the contemporary world, where media plays a central role in shaping public opinion, the impact of representation cannot be overlooked. Western media often perpetuates historical prejudices, hindering a genuine understanding of the humanity of colonized communities. The ongoing racist depiction of Palestinians at the hand of Israeli officials and western media is another example of dehumanization. Right-wing media outlets have referred to Palestinians as “barbarian pigs,” or suggested Muslims have a “medieval” worldview. It is imperative to scrutinize and challenge these representations to break free from the notions of deep-seated racism.
Another way dehumanization affects all branches of life is in the sciences. Scientific racism has played significant roles in perpetuating stereotypes, and further stigmatizing marginalized communities.
A well known example of scientific racism is eugenics, a pseudoscience which claims to “improve” the human population through selective breeding. Indigenous, Black, and Puerto Rican women were disproportionately impacted by eugenics laws and compulsory sterilization in the United States. In BC, the sexual sterilization act, which gave the BC Eugenics Board the right to sterilize people in government-run institutions, was only repealed in the 1970s. However, Amnesty International reports that coerced sterilization continues to impact Indigenous women in Canada, as we still see cases of Indigenous women who are forcibly sterilized to this day. Disguising blatant racism as scientific progress has intergenerational consequences that are well documented; as extreme as these examples may seem, dehumanization is much more prevalent than we might expect.
Acknowledging our susceptibility to the gradual and insidious practice of dehumanization is crucial. The reality is that anyone can be influenced by dehumanizing narratives: consider the rise of Islamophobic sentiment after media reports of 9/11, or the sinophobia that many experienced as COVID-19 cases spiked in 2020. We must be more wary of how easy it is for our institutions to dehumanize people, as though it were everyday news, because the cost of hate crimes that arise from dehumanizing narratives is much too high.
Authentic conversations about colonization challenges us to move beyond the “default” colonizer gaze. This involves amplifying the voices of marginalized people and allowing them to articulate their experiences, struggles, and aspirations, thereby humanizing them. By doing so, we dismantle the rigid narratives imposed by colonial powers, fostering a more nuanced understanding of diverse cultures and histories. As civil rights activist Audre Lorde said, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”
Challenging structures of power is a significant challenge, but it’s one that we must undertake every day if we are to reverse dehumanizing narratives. The crux of the issue is that the humanity of the colonized is often filtered through the perspective of the colonizers. To address this, it’s crucial we adopt the perspective of Jean-Paul Sartre, who, in his introduction to Frantz Fanon’s work, “The Wretched of the Earth,” argues for the colonized to reclaim their humanity on their terms. This involves challenging the dominant narratives imposed by colonial powers and fostering a discourse that emerges from the lived experiences of the colonized. Frantz Fanon’s perspective sheds light on the interconnected nature of dehumanization within the colonial system. He contends that both the colonized and the colonizer experience systematic dehumanization. To break free from this cycle, Fanon proposes a radical and continuous transformation of the colonial system, emphasizing the need for decolonization as a means of liberating both sides.
Breaking out of dehumanizing narratives requires a collective effort to challenge them and dismantle power dynamics inherent in colonial histories. By amplifying the voices of the colonized, fostering genuine discourse, and embracing a structural liberation model, we can work towards a world where humanity is valued and protected.
