Anticolonialism, decolonialism, neocolonialism

“Anticolonialism,” “decolonialism,” and “neocolonialism” are terms related to the category of colonialism (as well to the term “postcolonialism”). These terms have multiple meanings; they simultaneously signify an ideology, a historical moment, and a collective action. Although anticolonialism, decolonialism, and neocolonialism are terms that are usually analyzed separately, these concepts are linked together and, over the last century, have had extensive influence on human migration. The breakup of the European and American colonies in Africa, Asia, and South America reoriented and intensified population movements across the globe. Large numbers of officials of the colonial administrations, natives, and settlers went back to their former “motherlands.” Indeed, neocolonialism shapes the cognitive framework of both refugees and migrants to this day.