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This article attempts to conduct a critical theoretical review of the concepts of imperialism and colonialism (as well as related concepts such as internal colonialism, colonial situation, neocolonialism, coloniality, and post-colonialism) and proposes some insights for social science analysis. Although the concepts of colonialism and imperialism are widely cited in the political lexicon and social sciences, their use remains controversial; some authors still utilize the concept of imperialism while others refute its validity. We understand that these definitions are necessary, since the concepts of imperialism and colonialism are indispensable for thinking about the complex reality of the global system in the twenty-first century. Their validity, however, requires a critique of the economistic and Eurocentric aspects that guided many formulations on this topic. Varied and complex forms of colonialism and imperialism continue to shape world history, and we consequently need to be able to perceive their existence and analyze their dynamics. Here we lay the groundwork for a new theory of imperialism and colonialism as a global relationship of heteronomy and accumulation founded on structural discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, and territory that is capable of going beyond the limits of ethnocentric and developmentalist/modernist paradigms of historical knowledge.
Andrey Cordeiro Ferreira (Thu,) studied this question.