Introduction: Theories and Practices of Internal Colonization. The Cultivation of Lands and People in the Age of Modern Territoriality

Abstract

The article argues that internal colonization should be analyzed from a transnational perspective, as a shared repertoire of ideas and practices that can be observed in the interwar period. First, it critically discusses the use of ‘internal colonization’ and ‘internal colonialism’ as historical and analytical concepts. It then links these to recent debates in historiography about the ‘colonial’ nature of continental empires and the distinct place and importance ascribed to internal colonization within these debates. The last part presents the variety of rationales underpinning resettlement schemes and shows how these were articulated in the various programmes and practices of internal colonization analyzed in this theme issue.