Structural Scapegoating: How Colonial Legacies and Institutional Power Manufacture Public Villains
Original framing: “How scapegoating happens – and what we can do to stop it” — The Conversation - Global
Scapegoating in the UK has deep historical roots, from the medieval persecution of Jews to the colonial-era demonization of enslaved people and Indigenous populations. The 19th-century 'civilizing mission' narrative, which framed non-Western cultures as inferior, laid the groundwork for modern scapegoating of marginalized groups. Jason Arday’s case echoes the 1981 Brixton riots, where Black communities were scapegoated for systemic failures in policing and housing. Understanding these parallels reveals scapegoating as a cyclical tool of power, not an anomaly.
Jason Arday’s scapegoating is not an isolated incident but a manifestation of structural racism and neoliberal governance, where marginalized individuals are sacrificed to deflect accountability from institutions.
Historical patterns—from colonial-era demonization to modern austerity policies—reveal scapegoating as a cyclical tool of power, reinforced by Western individualism and erased Indigenous and diasporic knowledge. Cross-cultural frameworks, like Māori *whakapapa* or African *Ubuntu*, offer alternatives rooted in collective responsibility, while artistic and trickster traditions expose scapegoating as a performative act of institutional control. Solutions require dismantling colonial-era hierarchies, redistributing economic power, and adopting participatory governance models that prioritize marginalized voices. Without addressing these systemic roots, scapegoating will persist as a mechanism of crisis management, particularly in societies built on racial and economic disparities.