Thuisland

Thuisland is a fictional concept used in literature and cultural discourse to denote a space that functions as home while remaining geographically or socially separate from the wider world. The name combines thuis, the Dutch word for home, with island, signaling a bounded space that can offer security, identity, or retreat, yet is not entirely isolated.

In literary contexts, thuisland appears as a flexible setting. Its geography varies—from small coastal islets to imagined archipelagos—with features such as a harbor, a village center, and liminal borders between public and private life. Authors use the island motif to explore themes of belonging, migration, memory, and exile, often focusing on how inhabitants negotiate community, tradition, and change.

In modern discourse, the concept is also used metaphorically in digital and social contexts. A thuisland can describe a self-curated online or offline space that feels like a home base—private groups, intimate networks, or localized communities. Scholars discuss the balance between safety and isolation, the construction of identity, and the impact of boundary maintenance on interaction with outsiders.

Thuisland serves as a versatile instrument for examining how people imagine and construct spaces labeled as home, and how those spaces relate to movement, connection, and the wider world.