decenter
Move from middle
To decenter is to move something away from the center or remove it from a position of primary importance.
In contemporary discourse, it often means shifting focus away from a dominant perspective: We need to decenter whiteness in this conversation, The movement seeks to decenter Western narratives.
The term appears frequently in academic and activist contexts, sometimes criticized as jargon.
In optics, to decenter a lens is to shift it off its optical axis.
Remove from proper position
- realignRestore to correct arrangement
- repositionMove to new location
- dislodgeForce from position
- unsettleCause unease or anxiety
disrupt · reorient · redistribute · destabilize · defocus · margin · periphery
Change how something's viewed
- viewpointWay of seeing things
- contextualizePlace within surrounding circumstances
- relativizeMake context-dependent
- subjectivityPersonal viewpoint coloring perception
paradigm · bias · standpoint · lens · mindset · worldview · positionality · reflexivity
Being made part
- fairnessJust and equal treatment
- justiceFair treatment under law
- egalitarianismPhilosophy of universal equality
- accessibilityEase of approach
equal-opportunity · anti-racism · representation · intersectionality · pluralism · multiculturalism · amplify · uplift
Adapting to native practices
- postcolonialAfter foreign rule ends
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- liberationRelease from constraint
- subalternJunior commissioned officer
sovereignty · autonomy · self-determination · reclamation · unlearning · Eurocentrism · ethnocentrism · resistance
One's self-image
- humilityFreedom from arrogance
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
- listeningAttending to sound
- empathySharing another's emotions
meditation · mindfulness · non-attachment · self-transcendence · altruism · compassion · presence · awareness
displace
Remove from proper position
- realignRestore to correct arrangement
- repositionMove to new location
- dislodgeForce from position
unsettle · disrupt · reorient · redistribute · destabilize · defocus · margin · periphery
reframe
Change how something's viewed
- viewpointWay of seeing things
- contextualizePlace within surrounding circumstances
- relativizeMake context-dependent
subjectivity · paradigm · bias · standpoint · lens · mindset · worldview · positionality · reflexivity · self-awareness
inclusion
Being made part
- fairnessJust and equal treatment
- justiceFair treatment under law
- egalitarianismPhilosophy of universal equality
accessibility · equal-opportunity · anti-racism · representation · intersectionality · pluralism · multiculturalism · amplify · uplift
indigenization
Adapting to native practices
- postcolonialAfter foreign rule ends
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- liberationRelease from constraint
subaltern · sovereignty · autonomy · self-determination · reclamation · unlearning · Eurocentrism · ethnocentrism · resistance · repatriation
ego
One's self-image
- humilityFreedom from arrogance
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
- listeningAttending to sound
empathy · meditation · mindfulness · non-attachment · self-transcendence · altruism · compassion · presence · awareness · interconnectedness
decentercenter
Middle of anything
centralize · recenter · recentre · centre · focus
decentercentralize
Unify under single control
center · privilege · prioritize · foreground · elevate
- do the decent thingBehave ethically when tested
- halfway decentMinimally satisfactory
- decentralized governmentAuthority distributed across regions
- pretty decent
- political decentralizationTransferring authority to regional bodies
- decentralized powerAuthority divided across entities
decent, decentralize, decentralization, decentralized, decentering, decentered