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We are pleased to offer Leon Hoffman's timely book essay, “Settler Colonialism: Where to Now?” In the essay, Hoffman notes that individuals address conflict by seeking balance among conflicting desires, wishes, and needs. He asks, “Can that principle be applied to nations? Can compromises be found, or does might always make right?” One could argue that current times add a sense of urgency: What can psychoanalytic thought bring to bear on this question? According to Hoffman, Freud and Einstein explored the struggle between instinctual aggression and societal control, questioning whether human evolution could curb destructive tendencies. Hoffman writes that while authors Cavanagh and Veracini examine global historical examples of settler colonialism, he perceives an ideological bias in their work that portrays European settlers negatively while disregarding similar historical movements by non-Western civilizations. Kirsch's book challenges this approach, arguing that such a selective focus might foster division rather than provide a nuanced understanding of historical conflicts and their resolutions. Hoffman reflects,
Scholars in the field of postcolonial and settler colonial studies need to recognize the complexities of contemporary realities. As they explore ways to redress the historical wrongs that have been inflicted on Indigenous peoples, can they appreciate that there is an interdependence among all people in the contemporary world?