Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has sparked controversy by praising colonization and Britain’s role as an overlord. In an interview with The Australian, Howard stated that colonization was the “luckiest thing” to happen to Australia, acknowledging that Britain was more successful and beneficial compared to other European countries. These remarks received backlash on social media, with people denouncing Howard as ignorant, racist, and evil.
It’s important to note that Australia is no longer a British colony, but Aboriginal Australians still face the ongoing effects of colonialism, including discrimination and hardship. Aboriginal leaders have highlighted the disproportionate rates of incarceration, separation of families, and the plight of youth in detention centers as evidence of the structural issues resulting from colonialism.
Australia is currently preparing for a referendum on changing the Constitution to establish an advisory body representing the views of Aboriginal Australians. However, Howard predicts that the referendum will not succeed. It’s worth mentioning that some share Howard’s view on colonialism. For example, Bruce Gilley, a professor of political science, argued in an article that colonialism had objective benefits and subjective legitimacy in many places, questioning the prevailing belief that it was solely harmful.
Howard’s statements have led to calls for an apology and retraction. This incident aligns with a trend in the United States, where media figures and policy decisions are suggesting that historical atrocities may have benefited the victims. For instance, a host on Fox News faced criticism for appearing to downplay the Holocaust by stating that “useful” Jews had survived concentration camps due to their skills. Such revisionist narratives are becoming increasingly prevalent and are seen as a falsification of empire history.
Kris Manjapra, a historian of colonialism, notes that these narratives represent a sadistic fantasy, insisting that the historically oppressed benefitted from violence, dehumanization, and domination. Similar revisionism has also occurred in Florida, where revised African American history standards suggest that slavery benefited enslaved people by teaching them skills. Vice President Kamala Harris rightfully questions how anyone could find benefit in such atrocities and dehumanization.
British colonization of Australia began in 1788, and over the next two centuries, Aboriginal Australians suffered dispossession, abuse, and the erosion of their traditional way of life. Land theft, loss of culture, and denial of citizenship rights were among the effects of colonization. The forced removal of thousands of Aboriginal children from their families during 1905-1970, known as the Stolen Generations, further exacerbated the harm caused.
Howard served as prime minister from 1996 to 2007 and has faced criticism for refusing to apologize to the victims of colonization and their descendants. He justified his decision by claiming that he should not apologize for the mistakes of others and denying the conclusion that genocide was practiced against Indigenous people.
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