Singer Lana Del Rey promotes ‘settler colonialism’, suggests a Northwestern University class

OPINION: When complaints policy hinders the simple enjoyment of art

In the entire pantheon of the most ridiculous college courses, last semester’s course at Northwestern University, “Lana Del Rey: Emotional Landscapes of US Settler Colonialism,” may deserve a place in the top ten.

Although the course was offered months ago, it was only recently highlighted on social media.

At first glance, one might think that such a special course would attract perhaps 10 students. Lecturer Madeleine Le Cesne had expected even fewer, according to The daily Northwestern.

And lo and behold, the class was full with 16 students and there was a waiting list of over 40 students.

Le Cesne, whose research focuses on “porosity and seepage as critical relationalities that blur the boundaries between body, object, and land in New Orleans’ Black Creole communities past, present, and future,” had said to herself, “I guess Lana is in people’s minds.”

But … do the students Really think about how Del Rey’s music “engages people in the ‘settler colonial state'” and helps them “work toward a ‘decolonial future'”?

With critical theory, literally anything is possible, especially if you have a complaining mentality.

New Northwestern student Naya Hemphill apparently saw the connection and said it wasn’t hard to see: “When you think of Lana Del Rey, (in the picture)you think of Americana, and when you think of Americana, you think of colonialism (…) it is so deeply rooted in their music.”

(According to Del Rey’s Wikipedia page, the singer cites musical influences ranging from Billie Holliday and Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and Eminem, along with poetic sparks from Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg. One of her albums is even titled “Norman Fucking Rockwell.”)

Hemphill said the fact that the class was taught from a “non-white perspective” (the course’s instructor, Le Cesne, is a woman of color) was one reason she signed up for it. She also admits that her “black identity” sometimes gets in the way of her Del Rey fandom.

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Le Cesne even claims that Del Rey’s “Born to Die” invokes Manifest Destiny because the singer sees the US West Coast as a “safety valve.” As a result, Le Cesne hopes that students will take the Indigenous “land back” movement more seriously.

Student Kadin Mills was also in attendance. Since there are no required Native American courses at Northwestern University, he hopes that courses like Le Cesne’s will get students to “take a step back from their lives as settlers and really rethink their own position as occupiers.”

Mills also said that white professors need to teach more about settler colonialism to “take the burden off” their minority colleagues. (Remember, though – if this actually happens, the whiners will complain about “colonists” teaching about “their colonialism.” You won’t get anywhere with that.)

I imagine that if I were spending my formative years today, I would probably be lectured about “cultural appropriation” or similar nonsense, given my love of R&B and funk music.

In my halcyon days of junior high school, when northern Delaware was under the most “draconian” busing program in the country, my best friend and I had little trouble making friends with the (98 percent) black students who bused in from downtown Wilmington—all because of our taste in music.

After the initial shock of the city kids that white boys from the suburbs of Wilmington had not only heard of bands like Parliament, Funkadelic and Heatwave, but actually enjoyed Their music, mutually enjoyable conversations – and eventually friendships – between these Caucasians and African Americans flourished.

However, if we were in 2024, one of our teachers who, like Le Cesne, is “interested in the world-making potential of critical theory” would be lecturing my buddy and me about the power differentials inherent in our budding friendships… not to mention that without the requisite knowledge of past prejudice and discrimination, we can’t enjoy George Clinton-inspired songs like “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and “Flashlight.”

Course names for courses like Le Cesne should all start with “FK” – “Fun Killer”.

MORE: The ban on “cultural appropriation” is bad for artists and bad for culture

PICTURES: Cinnamon Girl, Abigail Anthony/X

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