kolonijkolonie

Kolonijkolonie is a neologism used primarily in speculative fiction and political theory to describe a political entity formed by multiple colonies under a single sovereign umbrella while preserving a degree of local self-government. The term combines kolonie, the word for a settlement established in a distant land, with an intensified form that signals a federation of such settlements rather than a single colonial administration. The concept is not tied to a single historical case but is discussed as a model for organizing dispersed colonial territories without full annexation or direct metropolitan governance.

Structure and governance: A kolonijkolonie is imagined as a two-tier system: a central federal council or assembly handling core functions—defense, foreign policy, trade, external debt—plus a common legal framework; and multiple constituent colonies, each with its own regional government responsible for local affairs, taxation within guidelines, and adaptation of central laws to local circumstances. Some models include shared institutions such as a common currency, central judiciary, and inter-colony infrastructure programs.

Historical usage: As a concept, kolonijkolonie appears mostly in speculative literature, political essays, and thought experiments about decolonization, post-imperial governance, and the management of distant territories. It is not a historically documented form of empire, but rather a theoretical construct used to explore governance, sovereignty, and legitimacy in multi-territorial arrangements.

Criticism: Proponents highlight potential efficiencies and consistent policy, while critics warn of bureaucratic overreach, risk of eroding local autonomy, and continued asymmetries of power or exploitation. Critics also note that even with shared institutions, such arrangements may reproduce colonial dynamics under a different name.

See also: colony, federation, federalism, colonialism, confederation.