Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Analysis

Second Department

International/Intercultural Studies

Reader 1

Susan Phillips

Reader 2

Lako Tongun

Reader 3

Melinda Herrold-Menzies

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2023 Dominic Arzadon

Abstract

Considering the complex colonial histories and relationalities associated with agricultural food production, a reimagined future beyond the violent legacy of plantations is presented. Exploring land as the site for intersectional healing to take place, the symbiotic relationship between humans and food production is increasingly becoming a reality—a theoretical framework I propose called decolonial foodurisms (pronounced food-yoor-isms). Combining “food” and “futurism” to emphasize that our collective futures are predicated on food security and food justice for all and especially for marginalized and racialized communities with ancestral ties to agricultural violence, decolonial foodurisms aims to capture how intersectional healing can come into fruition through inclusive and intentional agriculture. Post-settlement agriculture through plantations and the current agricultural system is inextricably bound in colonialism and enslavement, the legacies of which continue to exclude and exploit the knowledge systems of racialized peoples. By archiving my ancestors’ labor records as Sakadas (contract laborers) during Hawaii’s plantation era and incorporating film analysis and photographs, I also attempt to unsettle colonial relationalities and forge decolonial pathways of healing for myself, my community, the land, and all peoples with ancestral connections to colonial and capitalist agricultural violence. Decolonial foodurisms is how we heal the climate, our bodies, our communities, and ultimately ourselves.

Download

Share

COinS