colonialism
/kəˈləʊniəlɪzəm/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈləʊniəlɪzəm/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈlō-nē-ə-ˌli-zəm -nyə-ˌli-/ (ame, mw)
colonialism — noun
1. a system in which a stronger nation rules people in another land, often taking t
a system in which a stronger nation rules people in another land, often taking their resources and labour for its own profit — for example, when Britain governed India or Belgium ran the Congo as a colony.
Felipe wrote his thesis on how Spanish colonialism reshaped farming villages across the Andes.
modifier + noun: Spanish / French / British colonialism
Many African writers describe colonialism as a wound that has never fully healed.
describe / view / see colonialism as [metaphor]
The museum's new exhibit traces the impact of colonialism on local language and religion.
Apinya argues that modern trade rules still carry the marks of nineteenth-century colonialism.
Independence in 1960 brought a formal end to French colonialism in much of West Africa.
- imperialism
broader — covers economic and cultural domination even without formal colonies
- empire-building
less formal; emphasises the active process of taking territory
- settler colonialism
specific subtype where settlers replace the original population, not just rule them
- decolonisation
the process of ending colonial rule and its lingering effects
- self-determination
the principle that a people choose their own government
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable; takes no article when used generally ('colonialism caused…'), but is often preceded by a country adjective or time-period modifier ('British colonialism', 'nineteenth-century colonialism'). Strongly negative in tone — using it neutrally is rare in modern writing.