Colony Apr 2026

An unconventional look at "domestic colonies" (farm colonies for the mentally ill or utopian communities) rather than overseas territories. It highlights how these internal projects used the same principles of segregation and agrarian labor found in traditional settler colonialism. Biological & Specialized Perspectives Colonial Reproduction and Life Histories (ResearchGate).

(Cambridge University Press).

This is one of the most cited papers in modern economics. It argues that the types of institutions established by colonial powers (extractive vs. settler) were heavily influenced by European settler mortality rates, which in turn explains current global income disparities. Colony

Analyzes 17th-century intellectual origins of the British Empire, specifically how early philosophers like Bacon viewed the "sin" of abandoning a colony once it was established. Key Themes for Exploration An unconventional look at "domestic colonies" (farm colonies

by Moses Finley (2021).

A deep dive into the nuances between "colony" and "empire." It explores why settler communities are distinct and argues that separating Western colonialism from the broader history of imperialism can actually impoverish our understanding of both. (Cambridge University Press)

by Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson (2001).