identity politics and colonialism

    We have this very specific understanding of how colonization works. We see a civilization that is seems "untouched", we create a nation, and then we proceed to oppress the people that are undermined in the so-called "nation". I don't think a lot of people understand how there is actually a difference between colonization and colonialism. While colonization is the physical aspect of oppressing a group of people, colonialism is sociological and psychological way of taking advantage of others. There are many foundations that run along with this. We have the colonization of one person through dominion and "ownership" in which begins to develop into colonialism which is rooted in relying on people to begin to believe they do not belong. You can even claim parasitic relationships people have on one to be a variation of colonialism. The main point to be brought here is that, identity can wrap into this by the factor of how as people, we feel inclined to fit into the standards of others who refuse to understand us, both racially, ethnically, and personally. 

    For the past few years, I've relied on identity to be my format of labeling who I am to empower myself in this space. Trying to understand the experience as a child of Arab parents as well as living in an American society being part of an alternative community surrounding music, there is a lot that cannot correlate within this notion of an identity. I grasp my understanding as a person, but not within these communities and especially as someone who struggles with my queer identity. There is a lot to be said with the understanding of being a person solely in these communities but you learn to grow up and see that throughout your community, there isn't much to said on your experience but rather "what" you are. I kind of formulate myself into this idea of creating a label for myself especially since we feel almost all portions of this need to be identified. I have never been one to be a true "American", but I was raised here and cannot deny that nor can I actually proceed without accounting my privilege of being a legal American when I have the same upbringing as some of my undocumented brothers and sisters. So how do I continue on with putting on a single label as a person with one thing when everyone's story is complex? The answer to this is understanding intersectionality. We need to begin understanding that to put labels on every single thing is similar as taking one piece of land and chopping it with a name for the nations that the outside colonizers want. The way I am comparing this is to the Berlin Conference in the late 1800s. We see a nation look at something only for it's qualities and instead of understanding the complexities of the peoples, they care for the goods that they offer, the positives that these nations have to give. 

    Making this similarity might be pushing it because I come from a land that has a history of colonizing these same people in similar ways, but there is an analysis to be made. To understand our identity is to understand as people putting labels is like putting the lines in countries and separating parts of ourselves to create exclusive environments. This mainly is in regard to how certain ideologies cannot be compared to one another and how as we create points within our understanding of our identities, it gradually becomes harder and harder for people to relate to one another. The way we look at identity in America is that we feel as though we need to create bounds of how we feel and why we feel them when in reality, we should just feel them! Identity isn't necessarily a bad thing as it gives so many people euphoria which is not what I am going on about. Being a queer person means to also recognize that I will constantly fluctuate with my emotions as a religious person and as a woman. 

    I have constantly always felt more euphoric for calling myself solely "Yasmeen" rather than feeling like gender or sexuality has to make my identity. Truth be told, why is who I have sex with the primary understanding of my character? Why is what I want to be called, such a controversial thing? To say "oh there needs to be labels on everything because this is science" invalidates almost all of the problems that we see today! You cannot define emotions with one word, you cannot define who you are in one word. There are many things to be examined with this and I have a lot more thoughts on it but the reality of it all, being who you are alone is more than what people have to see you as, what the world needs to understand you as.