Narratives of dispossession: a precondition of colonialism in Detroit

Abstract

Narratives are a fundamental part in the dispossession of urban, African American and Indigenous peoples, both past and present. While current urban studies scholarship generally considers dispossession a part of the larger discussion of racial capitalism or settler colonialism, it is important to analyze how these symbols and narratives are a central part of dispossession. Settlers, government officials, and venture capitalists have used “narratives of dispossession” as a precondition to colonizing urban spaces like Detroit, Michigan. This essay contributes to debates in urban studies that explore the theoretical relationship between settler colonialism and racial capitalism.