ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews decolonization as developed within three discourses – Indigenous, spirituality and environment. Decolonization involves the recognition of colonization, and the efforts of Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized groups to break free – to decolonize – from the hegemony of modernist Western thinking that has supported political, economic, cultural and ideological imperialism (Coates, 2003; Yellow Bird, 2012). The chapter reviews the developments and objectives of these three discourses as each critiques the Western colonizing worldview and its negative consequences. While differences exist, the commonalities among these interweaving discourses support the emergence of holistic and inclusive ecospiritual approaches that enable the social work profession to be part of the decolonization project and, in so doing, become more effective than is currently the case in the pursuit of social and ecological justice.
