Colonization

Building a shared vocabulary around the systems of oppression we are all operating under is important for our journey towards collective liberation. To understand Decolonization, we must first understand colonization. Colonization is complex and strategic - it has also been effective in shaping our collective way of being for 530 years.

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colonization:

The action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

The action of appropriating a place or domain for one's own use.

Asserting your power and control, values, and beliefs over a group of people and/or place and forcing every person and thing in that space or place to assimilate to your culture and will. In this modern era, colonization in a global context usually refers to Western European colonization and imperialism and US globalization; rooted in the concept of those descended from Western Europe or appearing to descend from Western Europe being superior. All are expected to adjust their way of being and interacting in the world to be in tune with the value of and preference for "whiteness."