ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore the contested relationship between decolonization and settler logic. It will propose that what we will call desettlering is an essential path for settlers to walk before engaging in decolonization to minimize the harm done when settler subjectivity invades spaces of decolonization. The chapter argues that decolonization, as the repatriation of Indigenous land and the reestablishment of Indigenous sovereignty, is perpetually derailed by the settler subject and their colonial systems. While many settlers attempt to support decolonization, colonial recuperations are embodied in our habits, discourses, and performances. Desettlering, in this sense, is not about providing a moral compass, a value statement, or a codified approach to working toward decolonization. Instead, we use desettlering as a troubling site for critically reevaluating our practices, investments, knowledges, and who we are as settler people.
