biocolonialism

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

bio- +‎ colonialism

Noun[edit]

biocolonialism (plural biocolonialisms)

  1. (social sciences) Exploitation or misappropriation of the biological resources (particularly plants and fungi) of indigenous peoples.
    • 2000, Ann Cooper, Lisa M. Holmes, Bitter Harvest[1], page 121:
      In my opinion, many of the problems with the safety of our food supplies are directly related to biocolonialism. Food produced by anonymous sources in other countries under less than acceptable conditions is no way to ensure our good health.
    • 2007, Gavin Fridell, Fair Trade Coffee: The Prospects and Pitfalls of Market-Drive Social Justice[2], pages 257–258:
      Its major sponsors consist of some of the largest and most environmentally destructive companies in the world – including Citigroup, Exxon Mobil Foundation, and McDonalds[sic] – and it has been accused of being a corporate front designed to greenwash its sponsors' images and act as ‘the friendly face of biocolonialism.’
    • 2011, Dorothy E. Roberts, Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-Create Race in the Twenty-First Century[3], page 65:
      The HGDP [Human Genome Diversity Project] met an ignominious and unexpected end when tribal leaders accused the scientists of biocolonialism, for exploiting native genetic information in the same way that European colonizers had exploited their ancestors’ natural resources.

Related terms[edit]