decolonisation
Ending foreign rule
Decolonisation is the process by which colonies gain independence from colonial powers, or more broadly, the dismantling of colonial systems and their lasting effects.
The term covers both the historical wave of independence movements in the mid-twentieth century and ongoing efforts to undo colonial legacies in institutions, culture, and thought: decolonising the curriculum, the decolonisation of Africa.
Also spelled decolonization.
Supreme independent authority
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- nationhoodStatus as independent country
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
- self-ruleGovernance without outside control
republic · constitution · flag · anthem · parliament · referendum · plebiscite · partition
Transfer of control
- power transferShift of authority between parties
- repatriationFormal return to homeland
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
- transitionChange from one state
partition · expatriation · trusteeship · protectorate · governor-general · wind of change · relinquishment
Release from legal bondage
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
struggle · protest · independence movement · civil disobedience · guerrilla warfare · freedom fighter · liberation front · pan-Africanism
Restoration of native traditions
- curriculum reformRestructuring educational content
- renamingGiving new designation
- statue removalEliminating public commemorative sculptures
- oral historyRecorded interviews about the past
traditional knowledge · heritage · indigenous rights · land back · reparations
sovereignty
Supreme independent authority
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- nationhoodStatus as independent country
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
self-rule · republic · constitution · flag · anthem · parliament · referendum · plebiscite · partition · border
handover
Transfer of control
- power transferShift of authority between parties
- repatriationFormal return to homeland
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
transition · partition · expatriation · trusteeship · protectorate · governor-general · wind of change · relinquishment
emancipation
Release from legal bondage
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
revolution · struggle · protest · independence movement · civil disobedience · guerrilla warfare · freedom fighter · liberation front · pan-Africanism · mobilization
indigenous revival
Restoration of native traditions
- curriculum reformRestructuring educational content
- renamingGiving new designation
- statue removalEliminating public commemorative sculptures
oral history · traditional knowledge · heritage · indigenous rights · land back · reparations
- colonialismcolonization, colonies, British Empire, colonizers, protectorate
- Postwar BritainAttlee, NHS, National Health Service, rationing, ration books
decolonisationcolonisation
Establishing control abroad
colonization · colonialism · imperialism · imperial expansion · colonial rule
decolonisationcolonisation
Establishing control abroad
conquest · annexation · empire-building · imperial expansion · colonial expansion
decolonisationcultural imperialism
Dominant society imposing its ways
assimilation · cultural erasure · Europeanisation · colonial education · acculturation
colony, colonial, colonist, colonialism, colonizer, decolonization, colonise, colonisation, decolonize