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Worldeater Series: Lawful and righteous Christian terrorism

Samantha Suppiah
POSSIBLE FUTURES
4 min readOct 20, 2024

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The sustainability industry is built to sustain a colonial world order. What have been, and continue to be, the narratives, mechanisms and systems that establish and advance colonial sustainability?

Doctrine of Discovery

Three central papal bulls issued by Pope Eugene IV and Pope Nicholas V in 15th century Europe legalised European colonialism and the enslavement of non-Europeans or non-Christians. These form the institutional foundations that permit and incentivise ongoing colonisation. The contemporary sustainability industry plays central roles in upholding these narratives, mechanisms and systems.

Sicut Dudum (1435)
Issued by Eugene following pressure from Portugal’s King Edward; allowed the Portuguese to enslave un-baptised and non-Christian inhabitants of the Canary Islands

Illius qui se pro divini (1441)
Issued by Eugene following requests Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator; legalised Portugal’s expanding raids enslaving captives on the West African coast; pardoned crimes against “Saracens” and “enemies of Christianity”

Romanus pontifex (1455)
Issued by Nicholas as an endorsement of Portugal’s King Afonso V to permit Christians to “invade”, “vanquish”, “subdue” and…

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POSSIBLE FUTURES
POSSIBLE FUTURES

Published in POSSIBLE FUTURES

a global south decolonial collective disarming colonial narratives

Samantha Suppiah
Samantha Suppiah

Written by Samantha Suppiah

Southeast Asian trickster. Design strategist for decolonial sustainability & regeneration. www.possiblefutures.earth/crew#samantha

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