Definition

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. 

Examples of decolonization:

• Acknowledging a colonial history that informs current systems of oppression, and recognizing the trauma of colonialism
• Challenging settler privilege, which per Yes! Media “means that some combination of one’s economic security, U.S. 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.”

Additional resources

• Decolonization is not a metaphor (Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society)
• Racial Equity Tools Glossary (Racial Equity Tools)
• Glossary of Terms: Race, Equity and Social Justice (International City/County Management Association)

Summary

Decolonization is active resistance to colonialism, which attempts to shift power dynamics and focus from colonizers to the colonized nation or Indigenous nation or country.

Related terms

• colonization
• Indigenous
• cultural appropriation