Micronations and Hyperutopias

Abstract

The internet is bursting with micronations in all languages. These sites go by different names—ephemeral states, imaginary states, model nations, counter-countries, and unrecognized states, among others. Many have been constructed for pedagogical purposes, to raise awareness about the functioning of a nation and create space for collective experimentation. Outside the school system, individuals from all over the world engage in worldbuilding; quite often, micronations are created out of a joke, but the research I conducted indicates that they eventually develop a sense of a mission and convey a social and political message. It further reveals that, with the advent of the internet, micronations redefined the idea of “nationhood” on the basis of the interests people have in common and not on their geographical origins. But how distant are these micronations from utopian thinking and literary utopias? This chapter suggests that we think of these micronations as hyperutopias, i.e., literary utopias published online according to the principles of hyperfiction.