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Glite Dictionary
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abolitionism

abolitionism

8.4
A movement that wants to end prisons and police and use community care to keep people safe
  • noun
  • /ˌæbəˈlɪʃənɪzəm/
translation icon : abolicionismo
  • Many activists are influenced by abolitionism, seeking to end the reliance on policing in their communities.

Examples

  • I engage, I suppose, in a mix of revisionism and partial abolitionism.

    Blog text (30)

  • Abolitionism advocates for replacing the current carceral systems with community-based approaches to safety.

  • The principles of abolitionism call for a complete rethinking of public safety and justice.

How Radical

revolution
810 4.1
abolitionism
8.4

Surface Forms

abolitionism singular
abolitionisms plural

Morphology

abolitionism = abolition (transparent) = abolition + ism

The word transparently names the movement/doctrine formed from 'abolition' by the productive suffix '-ism', even though the specific target (prisons, policing) differs from historical uses.

Etymology

Abolitionism comes from the verb abolish, which comes from an old Latin word meaning 'to do away with'. So modern abolitionism is the movement to 'do away with' prisons and policing and to try other community ways to keep people safe.