colonialism

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The practice by which one nation extends political, military, economic, or cultural control over another people or territory. In contemporary social justice and critical theory frameworks, colonialism is often viewed not merely as a historical phenomenon but as an ongoing system of power whose effects continue through institutions, cultural norms, economic relationships, and social structures. Critics argue that this expanded definition can sometimes be applied so broadly that it reduces complex historical and social issues to narratives of oppressors and oppressed.