Koloniserden

Koloniserden is a Swedish term that refers to the people and societies that were subjected to colonization by external powers. The word can denote individuals as well as entire groups or regions, and it is commonly used in historical, sociological and postcolonial contexts. It is formed from kolonisation (colonization) and the definite noun suffix -den.

In discourse, koloniserden is often contrasted with kolonialmakten (the colonial power) and with references to the colonial era or period of domination. The concept is not tied to a single empire; it has been applied to various regions and forms of rule, including colonization in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania, as well as settler colonization and extractive colonial regimes.

Postcolonial scholarship treats the koloniserden as both actors and subjects affected by coercive power, examining language shift, cultural change, economic structures, resistance, diaspora and memory. It analyzes how colonial rule influenced governance, education, religion, land tenure and identity, while recognizing regional and group-specific differences.

Critically, some scholars warn against homogenizing diverse peoples under one term and emphasize specificity—national, ethnic, or linguistic identities—in analyses. Consequently, koloniserden is most effective when used as a relational descriptor within broader discussions of empire, power and resistance, rather than as an all-encompassing category.

In contemporary usage, the term appears in historical writing, cultural studies and debates about decolonization and memory. See also colonialism, colonization, decolonization, and postcolonial studies.