Colonial Legacies

Definition

Colonial legacies refer to the social, political, economic, and cultural impacts left behind by former colonial powers on the regions they colonized. These legacies often include systems of government, infrastructure, language, education, and economic structures.

Related terms

Decolonization: The process by which colonies gained independence from their colonial rulers.

Neocolonialism: A form of indirect control where former colonial powers continue to influence newly independent states economically or politically.

Cultural Assimilation: When colonized people adopt aspects of their colonizer's culture while losing or suppressing their own cultural practices.