Is colonialism still relevant today ?  

The historical view of colonialism focuses on how settlers exploit the resources of foreign lands for their own profit (Hogan, 2024). This period is often marked by the actions of imperial powers like Britain, France, and Spain. This essay questions the belief that colonialism belongs to the past. It argues that its structures are still relevant and deeply rooted in today’s global society. The lasting effects of historical colonisation are evident in many countries around the world. I will first examine the ongoing practices of settler states, using important work by Dubrule, Patriquin, and Hood (2018) that discusses Indigenous consultation processes. Additionally, the case for the ongoing nature of colonialism will be backed by looking at how global education systems are fundamentally designed to favour and maintain the coloniser’s perspective on history and knowledge and other relevant cases.  This approach helps to ensure that the ideas of imperial dominance continue. Today, many social inequalities persist across many areas because of colonial encounters, so it is important that we recognise they are still happening and give those people affected by them a voice day in, day out.

 

Canada and Australia are two examples of colonialism that are still relevant today. Although these nations are often described as democratic and progressive to many across the world, it should be noted that they were founded by displacing Indigenous populations. Today, Indigenous societies remain deeply embedded in colonial structures that have contributed to their marginalisation.

 

For instance, Indigenous peoples continue to face disadvantages despite being the land's original occupants within Canada. A Project called Site C Dam in British Columbia serves as a very good example of this continuity. (Dubrule, Patriquin and Hood, 2018) These excessive developments, which have occurred without the prior, informed consent of the affected Indigenous communities, are a violation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. When governments and corporations continue to extract resources from Indigenous territories, it reinforces the colonial logic that land and resources exist to serve state and corporate interests rather than the people who have lived on those lands for years. The ongoing, resource-heavy legal battles that Indigenous communities engage in to claim their rightful title are not just a result of history. They are a way that systemic exclusion continues. The need to spend financial and social resources on court cases clearly shows that the colonial project is not finished. Instead, it remains a relevant and costly part of modern society.

 

In examining the ongoing impact of settler states, Australia also stands out as an important modern example. Colonial legacies continue to play a significant role in its national structures. Indigenous Australians had inhabited the continent for over 60,000 years before the start of British colonisation in 1788 (Ritchie, 2023). To create space for themselves, settlers used policies of violence and dispossession to destroy Indigenous identities and cultures. Despite Australia's 1901 independence, the colonial order's hierarchies of power have remained in place. The 2023 referendum on establishing an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which would have given many Indigenous Australians a constitutionally recognised position in government, serves as an illustration of the covert colonialism that still exists today. Nevertheless, despite strong support, the proposal was rejected by most voters. (Galal, 2023) This result showed that colonial mindsets continue to shape national perception, with recognition of Indigenous rights still seen as a choice rather than a requirement. Many Australians view colonisation as a distant historical event rather than as an ongoing process. Even though educational reforms have begun to include more open discussions about Indigenous history and colonisation, the long-lasting effects of colonialism continue to affect Indigenous people in Australia, particularly in terms of health, education, and employment outcomes. The general lack of public recognition of neocolonialism shows that it still exists and remains relevant in today’s world.

 

Another example of neocolonialism's significance is its role in dependence, especially the ongoing structural issues in Puerto Rico. The island's financial and infrastructure reliance on the United States serves as a tool of imperial control, mainly supported by U.S. corporate interests. This economic oppression is worsened by a lack of democracy. Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizenship but cannot vote in the presidential elections (Peon, 2020). This contradiction between heavy external financial control and internal political exclusion shows that colonialism remains relevant. The historical power dynamic has just changed its methods to remain significant in today's global landscape.

 

Today, the lasting effects of colonialism are most clearly seen across Africa. This reality shows in the ongoing consequences of past imperial exploitation. While formal colonial rule ended many years ago, the underlying systems put in place by colonisers remain in place. To explore this lasting impact, the following discussion will focus on Africa and the ongoing effects of apartheid. This examination will examine how apartheid’s framework continues to cause systemic disadvantages in educational inequality and deep geographical and resource exploitation, drawing on scholars such as Jan Van Looy (2006).

 

Apartheid was one of the most blatant manifestations of colonial domination in South Africa. The apartheid system, which institutionalised racial segregation, was designed to maintain white supremacy and control over resources and land (Duncan, 2022). White communities lived in the most developed urban centres. In contrast, Black South Africans were pushed into impoverished townships on the outskirts. Cities were purposely designed to enforce racial separation. (Malala, 2019) Even though apartheid officially ended in 1994, the spatial and economic gaps still run deep today. Ongoing high unemployment, limited access to healthcare, and poor infrastructure in many former townships reveal how colonial exclusionary practices persist. This forced geographical situation means Black citizens must travel much longer distances for jobs and essential services like healthcare. It underscores a systemic injustice where access to basic resources is still shaped by colonial-era segregation. Black communities must travel farther for the same opportunities, a burden that white communities do not face. This illustrates how the structural disadvantages of colonialism continue to fuel modern South African inequality.

 

Resource exploitation, especially through the acquisition and heavy extraction of raw materials, clearly reflects colonial practices. This pattern is strongly supported by the direct and extensive extraction of resources, such as timber and cotton, for external benefit. For instance, after imposing a logging ban, China began importing large amounts of wood from African countries, such as Cameroon and Congo, where illegal logging exports have unfortunately risen to as much as 90 per cent in some nations. Likewise, China’s cotton imports from countries like Burkina Faso and Benin have surged since the mid-1990s. This dynamic of resource extraction is often framed strategically. (Jan Van Looy and Leo de Haan, 2006). The heavy dependency created, in which African resources and labour support foreign economies rather than promoting sustainable local growth, shows that African nations are essentially being used to address the economic and environmental issues of outside powers (Mulaku and Sabala, 2024). In my view, this ongoing exploitation of the continent's land and raw materials, where foreign powers set the terms and gain most of the benefits, represents the essence of colonialism: the control and manipulation of one sovereign people for the economic gain of another. This guarantees that the main issue of exploitation remains a key feature of the modern global order, no matter who the coloniser is.

 

The ongoing effects of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa are evident in how higher education institutions have failed to create real change since 1994. This persistent issue led to the 2015 student movement that aimed to decolonise the curriculum. Students specifically called for an end to the dominance of white, male, Western, capitalist, heterosexual, European worldviews, and sought greater emphasis on African perspectives. It can be argued that the post-apartheid settlement kept racial and wealth gaps in place, allowing whiteness, a remnant of colonial times, to continue marginalising others. As a result, the curriculum remains a key tool of epistemic violence, rooted in colonial beliefs that overlook local knowledge and promote a Eurocentric view as the universal truth (Govender & Naidoo, 2023). This deep-rooted failure to move past outdated Western systems illustrates that colonial power still holds a strong and ongoing influence on modern South African intellectual and social life.

 

In conclusion, the examples discussed, including geographical displacement, economic extraction, and control, show that colonialism is not just a thing of the past. It is still an active and significant thing today. Even though the traditional rule has formally ended, its structural foundations still exist in the global order. The ongoing fight within settler states like Canada and Australia, economic control over territories like Puerto Rico, the exploitation of African resources, and the continuing Eurocentric cultural hierarchies in South African education all demonstrate that colonialism remains very much alive. By seeing colonialism as an ongoing process rather than a completed historical event, we understand how the political and economic systems that shape international relations are connected to the legacy of empire. True decolonisation needs more than just independence; it requires dismantling injustices within institutions, laws, and mindsets. This is essential for achieving real justice and fairness in today’s world.

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Bibliography

 

Hogan, P.C. (2024). What Is Colonialism? First edition. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ( Accessed: 25 November 2025) 

 

Dubrule, T., Patriquin, D.L.D. and Hood, G.A. (2018) ‘A Question of Inclusion: BC Hydro’s Site C Dam Indigenous Consultation Process’, Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 20(2), p. 1850005. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1142/S1464333218500059. (Accessed: 25 November 2025)

 

Ritchie, H. (2023) ‘The voice: Australians vote no in historic referendum’, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-67110193 (Accessed: 29 November 2025).

 

Galal, S. (2023). Australia: opinion on referendum vote and attitudes towards First Peoples issues 2023| Statista. [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1498823/australia-opinion-on-referendum-vote-and-attitudes-towards-first-peoples-issues/ (Accessed 27 November 2025)

 

Peon, H. (2020). It Is 2020, and Puerto Rico Is Still a Colony. [online] Harvard Political Review. Available at: https://harvardpolitics.com/puerto-rico-colony/. (Accessed 1 December 2025)

 

Jan Van Looy and Leo de Haan (2006). Africa and China: A Strategic Partnership? Strategic Analysis, 30(3), pp.562–575. DOI: HTTPs://doi.org/10.1080/17540054.2006.12288849.  (Accessed 5 December 2025) 

 

Duncan, P. (2022) ‘What is Apartheid?’, in South Africa’s Rule of Violence. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis Group. ( Accessed 1 December 2025) 

 

Malala, J. (2019). Why Are South African Cities Still so Segregated 25 Years after apartheid? [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/oct/21/why-are-south-african-cities-still-segregated-after-apartheid. ( Accessed 2 December 2025) 

 

Mulaku, L.N. and Sabala, K.S. (2024). Infrastructural Development and Neo-Colonialism in Africa: The Case of the Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya. The African Review, [online] -1(aop), pp.1–20. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/1821889x-bja10104.  ( Accessed 5 December 2025) 

 

. Govender, L. and Naidoo, D. (2023). Decolonial insights for transforming the higher education curriculum in South Africa. Curriculum Perspectives, 43(1). Doi: HTTPs://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-023-00200-3.  (Accessed : 6 December 2025)