colonization, decolonization
What to know
Colonization refers to the invasion, displacement and subjugation of a group of people. Colonialism exerts systems of power and control by one group or country over another group or country/territory through settlement, political control, and economic dispossession (such as the extraction of resources). It is inextricably linked to the exploitation of colonized people.
Historians widely agree that colonialization is the process by which most modern states were created. The US, for instance, unilaterally annexed and acquired lands from Indigenous peoples, sovereign states, and other colonizing states to form its eventual borders. Colonization can also occur without annexation. The US has colonized or conquered lands in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Mariana Islands, and what are now called American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands. In these territories, the US maintains power over populations that do not have the same political rights as other US citizens. The acquisition of these territories has had significant effects on immigration and population trends. For example, European epidemics spread during the colonization of the Americas beginning in the late 15th century caused an estimated 90% death toll in the Indigenous population over the next century. Per a 2019 Census Bureau estimate, there are around 1.4 million people of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander heritage in the US.
Settler-colonialism, one form of colonialism, is the system of replacing an existing population with a new one through a variety of means, including land theft. This system can be enabled by acts of illegal occupation, apartheid, forced assimilation, ethnic cleansing, or genocide.
While colonialism and imperialism are deeply interconnected, scholars will point to distinctions. Colonialism can fall under the umbrella of imperialism and is often a tool of imperialism. But colonialism refers to instances of land settlement, territory seizure and other forms of direct control, where one country governs another in some form. Imperialism, on the other hand, more broadly encompasses one state’s power over other states, often enforced indirectly. Imperial drives can manifest through economic, political, or military influence, such as leveraging loans to different countries, directing proxy wars, or meddling in another country’s politics. An example of imperialism is Britain’s and the US’s role orchestrating the 1953 coup d’état of the Iranian government.
There are many contemporary efforts to raise awareness of the effects of colonization around the world. In the US, for example, Columbus Day, which became a federal holiday in 1937, has begun to be celebrated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in many locales, in part as an acknowledgment of the well-documented atrocities carried out by Christopher Columbus and those who followed him. As of 2023, 17 states, Washington DC, and more than 130 cities recognize some form of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Decolonization involves intentional and active resistance to colonized powers. This resistance happens at the personal, social, and political level to center Indigenous people, culture, land, and consciousness. Many countries in the Global South achieved independence from colonizing powers in the years after World War II through protests, revolts, strikes and more. Decolonization is largely understood as the end of colonial rule over a country and the beginning of that country’s political independence.
Examples of decolonization include acknowledging a colonial history that informs current systems of oppression, and recognizing the trauma of colonialism. People may also challenge settler privilege, which, per Yes! Media, “means that some combination of one’s economic security, US citizenship, sense of relationship to the land, mental and physical health, cultural integrity, family values, career aspirations, and spiritual lives are not possible without the territorial dispossession of Indigenous peoples.” Many historians and political scientists consider decolonization a continuous process, as legacies of colonial structures remain entrenched in politics, education systems, economies and more.
Sometimes, colonization and decolonization are used metaphorically, referring to the cultural legacies of colonialism that center systems or beliefs in white, western perspectives. In present-day usage and on social media, you will sometimes see the label of “colonizer” invoked as an insult or call for cultural, psychological and economic liberation. The framework of decolonization is also applied to disciplines and fields. For example, the field of psychology can pathologize cultural variation and fail to account for non-Western perspectives on knowledge and meaning, education systems can uphold narratives centering colonial perspectives and experiences, and beauty standards can value white, western physical characteristics over others. In these cases, people may use the term “decolonization” to refer to systems and values that uplift formerly colonized people, their experiences, and their cultures.
Colonization and decolonization are factual terms journalists use in their reporting to accurately portray historic or present events. The metaphorical usage of the terms could trivialize the genuine experience of colonialism, unless sources are using the terms to describe their own ideologies and experiences.
Additional resources
- “What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day” (History.com)
- “Racial Equity Tools Glossary” (Racial Equity Tools)
- “Race, Class, and Colonialism” (Social and Economic Studies)
- Big Media’s Big Fail Over US Colonialism (Palabra)
- Is Israel a “settler-colonial” state? The debate, explained. (Vox)
Summary
Colonization is an invasion, displacement, and subjugation of a group of people, often the original or longstanding historical inhabitants of an area. The term colonialism refers to the ongoing processes of power and control by one group over another group or territory, and is inextricably linked to the exploitation of colonized people. There are many contemporary efforts to recognize the effects of colonization around the world, such as celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day rather than Columbus Day.