Control or sovereignty over a territory or people. It can also refer to a self-governing territory within a larger empire, historically the British Empire.
From Latin 'dominium' meaning 'ownership, property, right to rule', from 'dominus' meaning 'lord'. It entered English via Old French. The word kept its sense of territorial rule and authority.
The phrase 'dominion over the earth' in older religious texts helped justify humans treating nature as something to own and control. In politics, 'Dominion' was a halfway house between colony and independent nation, like early Canada. The word sits right at the crossroads of theology, empire, and ecology.
“Dominion” appears in religious and legal language about humans’ control over land, animals, and sometimes other people, historically tied to patriarchal and colonial authority. Male rulers and patriarchs were often described as having dominion over households and territories.
Use “dominion” carefully, acknowledging historical ties to patriarchal and colonial control. Prefer more neutral terms like “stewardship” or “governance” when describing shared responsibility.
["control","authority","governance","stewardship"]
Women, Indigenous communities, and other marginalized groups have challenged dominion-based models of ownership and proposed more relational, shared approaches to land and power.
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