postcolonial

adjective post·co·lo·nial \ ˌpōst-kə-ˈlō-nē-əl , -nyəl \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Definition of postcolonial

: of, relating to, or being a time after colonialism

postcolonial America

Carter was the first American president to take seriously the entire postcolonial era that has remade the globe since World War II.
—Garry Wills

Recent Examples of postcolonial from the Web

The same postcolonial theorists who assign your books & videos in classes.

— danielle jackson, Longreads, "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Reckons with Fame," 1 June 2018
The same postcolonial theorists who assign your books & videos in classes.

— larissa macfarquhar, The New Yorker, "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Comes to Terms with Global Fame," 28 May 2018
Most European governments do not regard these postcolonial Arab monarchies and Zionist upstarts as anything near their equals.

— walter russell mead, WSJ, "Europe Is Feeling Trumped," 21 May 2018
The book — a mix of journalism, essays and academic research — is a sociological, historical tome that looks at democracy and art in postcolonial Guyana through the lens of identity and free speech during Guyana’s 2015 election year.

— darcel rockett, chicagotribune.com, "How does one respond to racist, xenophobic populism? Art plays a part, says Natalie Hopkinson.," 25 Apr. 2018
Something about this rang true: Power dynamics between nonwhites in postcolonial societies can be frustratingly opaque.

— karan mahajan, The New Republic, "After the Strongman," 26 Mar. 2018
Sierra Leone’s tumultuous postcolonial politics has been dominated by two major parties: the SLPP and the APC.

— jamie hitchen, Washington Post, "Sierra Leone goes to the polls on March 7. Here are the 5 things you need to know.," 7 Feb. 2018
Her lyrics — on subjects of love, fellowship and postcolonial reckoning — spring from a similar insistence on inquiry.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: John Prine Comes Home, and 10 More New Songs," 9 Feb. 2018
The 2007 crisis came to an end when the winner, Mr. Kibaki, agreed to share power with the opposition — the only national example in postcolonial Kenyan history of an alternative to the winner-take-all system.

— jina moore, New York Times, "In Kenya, Revote Raises Challenges for a Young Democracy," 25 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'postcolonial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.