Settling for Less: Why States Colonize and Why They Stop

Why countries colonize the lands of indigenous people

During the past few centuries, vast areas of the world have been colonized by settlers. But why did settler states like Australia and the United States cease colonizing frontier lands in the twentieth century? At the same time, why did states loudly committed to decolonization like Indonesia and China start settling the lands of such minorities as the West Papuans or Uyghurs? Settling for Less traces this bewildering historical reversal, explaining when and why indigenous peoples suffer dispossession at the hands of settlers.

Lachlan McNamee challenges the conventional wisdom about settler colonialism--that it results from a genocidal "logic of elimination." He tells a more complex story about the conflicts of interest between indigenes, states, and settlers. Drawing from a rich array of global demographic evidence, he shows how states generally license frontier colonization only when seeking to prevent indigenous rebellions or independent settler republics. Frontier colonization schemes also often struggle to attract settlers. McNamee reveals how, as states grow wealthier and their cities increasingly attract migrants, they all ultimately lose the power to settle frontier lands.

Settling for Less uncovers the internal dynamics of settler colonialism and the diminishing colonizing power of the state. Comparing successful and failed settlement projects in Indonesia, Australia, China and beyond, this book demonstrates that economic development--by preventing colonization--has proven a powerful global force for indigenous self-determination.