otherand

Otherand is a fictional geopolitical concept used in speculative fiction and world-building. The term functions as a placeholder nation to explore questions of sovereignty, identity, and otherness. Because it is not tied to a single canonical work, portrayals of Otherand vary by author, but several common threads recur: it is frequently depicted as a culturally diverse region with a history of cross-border interaction, and its governance ranges from parliamentary systems to constitutional monarchies. Economies in these depictions often center on coastal trade, fishing, and crafts, while regional tensions may arise from competing claims or ethnic diversity. The geography is described inconsistently, sometimes as an archipelago, other times as a coastal mainland region; this variability reflects its role as a flexible canvas for speculative world-building rather than a fixed nation.

Etymology and use: The name Otherand appears to be a neologism formed from the words other and and, signaling inclusion of the Other in political or cultural discourse. In scholarly and pedagogical contexts, Otherand is sometimes presented as a thought experiment to examine how narratives construct “the other” and to illustrate narrative bias, hybridity, and the politics of naming.

See also: Otherness, world-building, imagined geography, speculative fiction.