Undoing political, economic and cultural legacies of colonisation
This article is about the undoing of colonialism. For medical interventions, see Decolonization (medicine).
Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas.[1] The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence movements in the colonies and the collapse of global colonial empires.[2][3] Other scholars extend the meaning to include economic, cultural and psychological aspects of the colonial experience.[4][5]
As a movement to establish independence for previously colonized territories from their respective metropoles, decolonization began in 1775 in North America. However, the term became far more widespread after the Second World War, receiving a new amplification by the development of new nationalisms in subaltern communities in the 20th century. In the 21st century, the UN has promoted decolonization and "thus has become a platform of militant anticolonialism."[6] In 2023, the UN has taken the position that decolonization is not over, as there are still 17 "non-self-governing territories," mostly islands.[7]
^Grimal, Henri (1985). La décolonisation de 1919 à nos jours [Decolonization from 1919 to Today] (in French). Éditions Complexe. p. 349. ISBN978-2-87027-157-5.
^Nabobo-Baba, Unaisi (2006). Knowing and Learning: An Indigenous Fijian Approach. Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific, Suva. pp. 1–3, 37–40. ISBN978-982-02-0379-2.
^Tuhiwai Smith, Linda (2013). Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. Zed Books. ISBN978-1-84813-953-4.[page needed]