decolonize

verb

de·​col·​o·​nize (ˌ)dē-ˈkä-lə-ˌnīz How to pronounce decolonize (audio)
variants also British decolonise
decolonized; decolonizing; decolonizes

transitive verb

1
: to free (a people or area) from colonial status : to relinquish control of (a subjugated people or area)
the year the country was decolonized
The country faces international pressure to decolonize the territory.
2
: to free from the dominating influence of a colonizing power
especially : to identify, challenge, and revise or replace assumptions, ideas, values, and practices that reflect a colonizer's dominating influence and especially a Eurocentric dominating influence
To decolonise and not just diversify curriculums is to recognise that knowledge is inevitably marked by power relations. … A decolonised curriculum would bring questions of class, caste, race, gender, ability and sexuality into dialogue with each other, instead of pretending that there is some kind of generic identity we all share. Priyamvada Gopal
Per a statement, staff [at the University of Oxford's Pitt Rivers Museum] have removed a total of 120 human remains from display, moving them to storage as part of a museum-wide effort to decolonize the Pitt Rivers' collections. Nora McGreevy
Decolonizing science will also involve encouraging Western institutions that hold imperial scientific collections to reflect more on the violent political contexts of war and colonization in which these items were acquired. An obvious step forward would be to discuss repatriating scientific specimens to former colonies, as botanists working on plants originally from Angola but held primarily in Europe have done. Rohan Deb Roy
Decolonizing my mind has been a continual process of rethinking the values that guide my actions. It's emotional, intellectual and spiritual labor that involves centering myself as an African-American woman and not allowing my entire existence to be a performance tailored for the white, cisgender male gaze … JerVae (Jae Anthony)

Examples of decolonize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Worse, by ignoring that fact and creating the false impression that Puerto Rico can decolonize itself, a convention would amount to an exercise in self-deception. Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus / Made By History, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024 How one Karuk fire crew leader is decolonizing our relationship to fire. Paige Vega, Vox, 17 Sep. 2024 The goal is to decolonize our relationship to wildfires, remove barriers to using good fire, and prepare us for a world more impacted by the effects of climate change. Joseph Lee, Vox, 15 Aug. 2024 And collectively experimenting and working to adapt and decolonize the filmmaking process. Kate Nelson, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for decolonize 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decolonize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decolonize was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near decolonize

Cite this Entry

“Decolonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decolonize. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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