KEY TERMS

Colonisation:  

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘colonisation’ as a colonial system or principle. Historically this has been entailed a typically militarised domination of an area for land, power, and wealth which has been enacted by and against several different ethnicities. 

Decolonisation:  

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘decolonisation’ as the withdrawal from its former colonies of colonial power, the acquisition of political or economic independence by such colonies.  

Eurocentrism: 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'eurocentrism’ as having or regarding Europe as its centre, focusing on Europe to the exclusion of the rest of the world. 

Decolonisation of knowledge: 

This refers to the acknowledgement and change from the notion of universality as a veil for Western hegemonic knowledge. Hegemony here refers to unity under one idea, and therefore having the West as the standard only serves to delegitimise and ‘Other’ different cultures.  

Ethnicity: 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘ethnicity’ as the membership of a group regarded as ultimately of common descent or having a common national or cultural tradition. While this is like the definition of race, ethnicity is more focused on cultural identification and therefore this provides a more complex understanding of an individual.  

Race: 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘race’ as an ethnic group, regarded as showing a common origin and descent or distinct physical features. While this is like the definition of ethnicity, race is more commonly referring to inherited attributes and a way of physically identifying people. For this reason, race can be a difficult thing to use as a sole definition of a person. 

Gender: 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'gender' as the state of being male or female as expressed by social or cultural distinctions and differences, rather than biological ones. Understanding gender as more than the binaries of male and female exposes its performativity and highlights how social norms and cultures dictate the notion of gender.  

Intersectionality:

The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage; a theoretical approach based on such a premise.

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