Colonialism

The term colonialism is derived from the word colonial, which in turn is derived from colony. Each of these terms reflects the different meanings inherent in the word colonialism. The Oxford English Dictionary describes colony as a “settlement in a new country; a body of people who settle in a new locality, forming a community subject to or connected with their parent state” (OED Online 2022, “colony”). The term colonial signifies much more than a settlement by a foreign power; it refers to the “principle, policy, or practice” of forced occupation and exploitation of a country, its people, and its resources by another country (OED Online 2022, “colonialism”). The term colonialism has an even broader scope; it denotes a system that appears colonial, or reflects similar forms of practices or principles of exploitation, which may or may not refer to the specific historical phenomenon of colonial exploitation by European and North American counties.