Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor

“Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor” is an essay written by scholarly researchers Eve Tuck of State University of New York at New Paltz and K. Wayne Yang of  the University of California, San Diego, in which the authors describe how the metaphorical application of the verb “Decolonize” obfuscates the broader goal of returning sovereignty to Native peoples. Since its publication in 2012 it has become the focal point for arguments both in favor and in opposition to the use of “decolonize” as a representative, rather than a literal, expression.