Colonialism without religion? Faith and politics in the history of Antarctica

A focus on religion can offer a helpful perspective for thinking about colonialism in Antarctica. Using case studies from Britain, Argentina, Chile, and the United States, this chapter explores the relationship between colonialism and religion in the twentieth century history of Antarctica. Despite being in many ways quite different from examples of the close relationship that colonialism and religion have had in many other parts of the world, the chapter argues that religion has supported colonial practices in Antarctica. Religion has provided a motivation for colonial engagement with the continent, it has supported colonial claims to the continent, and it has played a role in domesticating Antarctic space as part of the process of settler colonialism. Reflecting the inherent imprecision of the words ‘colonialism’ and ‘imperialism’ in Antarctic history, a study of religion can help to demonstrate the colonial roots of Antarctic activities, even when the protagonists themselves may not have thought of themselves as being involved in a colonial enterprise. Ultimately, however, it has been science and not religion that has done most to support colonialism in Antarctica, meaning that the religious history of the continent has frequently been overlooked.