Internal colonialism (noun): The structural exploitation and
domination of minority groups from within an empire. Internal colonization
happens when the dominate core of a empire oppresses those who are at its
periphery. Although internal colonialism can be found in every colony, it is
not necessarily limited to colonized territories. In England for example, the Irish would be considered an
internal colony. Internal colonialism generally cuts across all marginalized
racial and ethnic groups, as well as gender, class, and sexualities. The main
distinction between colonialism and internal colonialism is that colonialism
involves being oppressed by a foreign power, whereas internal colonialism
involves being oppressed by a dominate core located within the nation state.
Internal colonialism in a sentence:
Black, Latinx,
Xicanx, Indigenous and Asian groups have been made into internal
colonies within the United States, constantly subjected to the domination of
whiteness.
THE DECOLONIZER
December 2015
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