Nativism and Capitalism: From Colonial Hauntings to Radical Indigenous Futures

This book offers a sweeping reappraisal of nativism as a central force within global capitalism rather than a simple reaction against it. Peter Bloom shows how the figure of the “native,” inherited from colonial rule, continues to shape how capitalist modernity organizes scarcity, hierarchy, and belonging. Nativism and Capitalism: From Colonial Hauntings to Radical Indigenous Futures offers a sweeping reappraisal of nativism as a central force within global capitalism rather than a simple reaction against it. Peter Bloom shows how the figure of the “native”, inherited from colonial rule, continues to shape how capitalist modernity organizes scarcity, hierarchy, and belonging. From 19th-century empire to today’s far-right populisms, the book traces how contemporary movements convert economic dispossession into racialized narratives of authenticity and exclusion. Bringing together political economy, decolonial thought, and cultural critique, the book reframes indigeneity as a global political horizon rooted in internationalist indigenous politics that challenges both exclusionary nativism and neoliberal globalization. Drawing on indigenous epistemologies, governance practices, ecological perspectives, and transnational movements, Bloom highlights alternative ways of imagining community, reciprocity, and planetary solidarity, while also revealing how colonial legacies persist in shaping the present. The result is a pioneering work which offers new insights into the politics of belonging and outlines pathways towards more just and sustainable futures. It is essential reading for scholars in political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, and cultural studies, as well as policymakers and activists working on nationalism, migration, global justice, and indigenous rights.