decolonization

noun

de·​col·​o·​ni·​za·​tion (ˌ)dē-ˌkä-lə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

: the act or practice of decolonizing

[Frantz] Fanon also described mental decolonization, the shedding of the colonizer's values and practices …

—Jackie Byars

[Ngũgĩ wa] Thiong'o is a passionate advocate for African authors writing in their native tongue as a form of preserving culture and achieving linguistic decolonization. "Language, any language, has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and a carrier of culture," he has written.

—Jackie Bischof

The 20th century may be defined in the West by the World Wars and the Cold War, but for much of the rest of the planet it was the age of decolonization, when old structures of (often racial) domination and power gave way to new states, new nations, and new politics.

—Kanishk Tharoor

Examples of decolonization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What’s surprising about this practice, which first gained currency in nineteenth-century European cities, was that it was still being done so late in the day, long after the midpoint of the century of decolonization; by then, most of Africa was recently independent. —Percy Zvomuya, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024

In the coming election, the island’s voters will have a chance to express their desire for decolonization. —Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus / Made By History, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024

Read More: Puerto Rico Is Voting for Its Future Puerto Ricans have been demanding decolonization for a very long time. —Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus / Made By History, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024

The Trusteeship Council, a rare example of an international institution that unambiguously fulfilled its agenda, provided a vital mechanism for facilitating decolonization in Africa and the Pacific. —Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Affairs, 15 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above