Decolonization

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The process by which colonies of European powers gained independence, primarily in Asia and Africa, after World War II.

Imperialism: The economic and political domination of one state or country over another, often resulting in the exploitation of natural resources, labor, and wealth.
Nationalism: The belief in the importance of one's own country and people, often leading to independence movements and resistance against colonial powers.
Colonialism: The practice of acquiring and maintaining colonies and territories outside of one's own country or state, often through military conquest and forced labor.
Political decolonization: The process of gaining independence from colonial powers through diplomacy, negotiations, and sometimes armed conflict.
Socio-cultural decolonization: The process of asserting cultural identity and reclaiming pre-colonial traditions, languages, and values.
Economic decolonization: The process of transforming colonial economies from being dependent on external powers to being self-sufficient and sustainable.
Cold War and decolonization: The ways in which decolonization was influenced by the geopolitical conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and the struggle for power and influence in the post-colonial world.
Human rights and decolonization: The recognition and assertion of human rights by new nations and the challenges faced in implementing them.
Gender and decolonization: The roles of women and LGBTQ+ individuals in the decolonization movement and the challenges they faced in gaining equal rights.
Memory and decolonization: The ways in which decolonization has been remembered and commemorated by different communities and nations, and its ongoing legacy and impact today.
Constitutional Decolonization: This refers to the process of granting independence to colonies through constitutional means, whereby the colonizer and the colonized negotiate a new political system that allows for self-government, but also maintains some form of political and economic connections with the former colonial power.
Negotiated Decolonization: This type of decolonization involves a series of negotiations between the colonial government and the representatives of the nationalist movement of the colony. The negotiated process aims to bring about a peaceful transition of power, with both parties agreeing on the terms of independence and the details of the new government.
Violent Decolonization: This is characterized by the use of armed or militant struggle for independence, with nationalist movements resorting to violence to achieve their goals. It usually involves guerrilla warfare, armed rebellion, or terrorism, and often results in a significant loss of life and destruction.
Spontaneous Decolonization: This type of decolonization happens suddenly, often as a result of unforeseen events such as a change in the political climate or a sudden shift in geopolitical power. It can be peaceful or violent, but it usually happens quickly and unexpectedly.
Internal Decolonization: This involves decolonization within a state or country. It deals with the liberation of oppressed ethnic, racial or religious groups within a society, and the establishment of their political and cultural rights. Internal decolonization is related to the movements for civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Cultural Decolonization: This type of decolonization refers to the efforts of indigenous and marginalized groups to reclaim their cultural heritage and to combat cultural imperialism. It involves the revitalization of cultural practices and languages that have been suppressed or replaced by colonial languages and cultures.
Economic Decolonization: This involves the restructuring of the economic system of a former colony to promote domestic industries and to end the economic dependence on the former colonizer. This includes the nationalization of industries, land reform, and the removal of trade barriers.
Psychological Decolonization: Psychological decolonization refers to the process of breaking away from the mental and emotional bonds created by colonialism. It involves the rejection of colonial narratives and the creation of new narratives that reflect the experiences and perspectives of indigenous and marginalized communities.
Quote: "Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas."
Quote: "The meanings and applications of the term are disputed."
Quote: "Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence movements in the colonies and the collapse of global colonial empires."
Quote: "Other scholars extend the meaning to include economic, cultural and psychological aspects of the colonial experience."
Quote: "Decolonization scholars form the school of thought known as decoloniality."
Quote: "Decolonization scholars... apply decolonial frameworks to struggles against the coloniality of power and coloniality of knowledge within settler-colonial states even after successful independence movements."
Quote: "Indigenous and post-colonial scholars have critiqued Western worldviews."
Quote: "promoting decolonization of knowledge and the centering of traditional ecological knowledge."
Quote: "Such a broad approach that extends the meaning of decolonization beyond political independence has been disputed and received criticism."
Quote: "Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò argued that it is analytically unsound to extend the meaning of "coloniality" to this extent."
Quote: "[He] argued that approaches that see 'decolonization' as more than political emancipation deny the agency of people in former colonies who have consciously chosen to adopt and adapt elements from colonial rule."
Quote: "Others, such as Jonatan Kurzwelly and Malin Wilckens or Veeran Naicker, argued that such scholarly and practical attempts at 'decolonization' perpetuate reified and essentialist notions of identities."
Quote: "Some scholars extend the meaning to include economic, cultural and psychological aspects of the colonial experience."
Quote: "Decolonization scholars apply decolonial frameworks to struggles against the coloniality of power and coloniality of knowledge."
Quote: "Indigenous and post-colonial scholars have critiqued Western worldviews."
Quote: "promoting decolonization of knowledge and the centering of traditional ecological knowledge."
Quote: "Such a broad approach that extends the meaning of decolonization beyond political independence has been disputed and received criticism."
Quote: "approaches that see 'decolonization' as more than political emancipation deny the agency of people in former colonies who have consciously chosen to adopt and adapt elements from colonial rule."
Quote: "such scholarly and practical attempts at 'decolonization' perpetuate reified and essentialist notions of identities."
Quote: "Indigenous and post-colonial scholars have critiqued Western worldviews, promoting decolonization of knowledge."