decolonization
nounUK /ˌdiːˌkɒlənaɪˈzeɪʃn/
US /ˌdiːˌkɑːlənaɪˈzeɪʃn/
The process of a country becoming free from another country's control.
The decolonization of Africa changed the map of the world in the twentieth century.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The act of removing the cultural influence of a former colonial power.
The museum's decolonization project returned sacred objects to their original communities.
3. The process of a place or institution freeing itself from colonial ideas and practices.
Students called for the decolonization of the university curriculum.
4. The withdrawal of a colonial power from a territory it once governed.
The decolonization of the region happened gradually over several decades.