One man nation
A one man nation or one-man nation, colloquially known as an egostan (from Latin ego + Persian -stan) and referred to in New Secessionism as a model country, is a micronation that only has one active participant.
Terminology
The term one man nation has been used in the MicroWiki community since the early 2010s. Historically, some micronationalists argued that nations with one active participant but multiple inactive citizens were not true one man nations. The term egostan, which has derogatory connotations, started to be used in 2017.
In New Secessionism, a micropatriological theory from the late 2010s, a micronation is a micronation run by a group of people, and a model country is one that is not. This means that "model country" is effectively New Secessionist jargon for a one-man nation, although it is possible to have model countries that have a slightly greater number of active citizens (e.g. the Nation of Bedroom, which had two). Another related term is bedroom nation, which refers to a micronation whose territorial claim is a single room.
Perspectives
MicroWiki community
In the MicroWiki community, one man nations are generally seen as less developed than those with multiple active citizens. For instance, David's Micronational Potential Index, Dresner's System of Classification, the Economic Potential Index (created by Miles Bradley Huff), and the Patel McGrath scale, all measures of a micronation's development, award more points for having more citizens, disadvantaging one man nations. One man nations are also sometimes seen as less serious. For instance, Roscoe's Scale of Micronational Seriousness actively defines "One Man Nation" as the least serious form of government.
In July 2017, Mike Jones voiced the opinion that all MicroWiki nations should be considered de facto one man nations for diplomatic purposes, saying that, in diplomacy, "You are never dealing with the micronation. You are always dealing with the depressed, autistic weirdo behind the micronation."[1]
Academic micropatriology
Cultural theorist Bronwyn Winter says that, for many micronations, "the nation is simply an extension of one individual".[2]
Ralph Kober in 2018 analysed the Principality of Hutt River through Ryan Anderson's concept of aislamiento,[3] a sense of geographical and psychological isolation that constitutes a place as an "island".[4] Kober concluded that as Hutt River was in an isolated area and HRH Prince Leonard was happy to "maroon himself there", the micronation constituted an island, revealing the "deeply social and political nature of aislamiento".[3]
List of one-man nations
 |
This list is incomplete, you can help MicroWiki by expanding it. |
Current
| Nation | Founded | De jure or de facto | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Principality of Hosamia
|
August 2016 | De facto | Hosamia used to have 16 members but all 15 either left or were granted independence, leaving only the Emperor and Wasil. |
 Tsalojdom of Birgeshir
|
January 2010 | De jure | Birgeshir was initially called "Single Citizenship" and later "Tsalojdom" but has always been de facto a one-man nation while opening its doors to new citizens. Starting from 2020, however, the Tsaloj no longer supports the idea of including other people in his micronation. |
 Empire of Ostreum
|
August 2017 | Both | |
 Ohio Republic
|
December 2017 | De facto | |
 Kingdom of Calcon
|
February 2015 | De facto | |
| Union of Wasteoftimeistan | December 2017 | De facto | Joe is the current permanent resident although he has been declined citizenship on several occasions. There are 2 citizens of Wasteoftimeistan. |
 Paperis
|
August 2019 | De jure | |
 Agasymbia
|
July 2021 | De facto | Agasymbia was founded as a "cultural and conlang project" by Shady Morsi, |
 Suttornland
|
January
2021 |
De facto |
Previous
| Nation | Period as one-man | De jure or de facto | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nemkhav Federation
|
2010–11 | De facto | Also a fantasy nation in this period. |
 Grand Duchy of Prsänëa
|
Unknown | De facto | |
 State of Sandus
|
Unknown | De facto | |
 Saspearian
|
20 October 2017 - March 2019 | De facto |
Historical
| Nation | Period as one-man | De jure or de facto | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Erusia
|
October 2008 – July 2010 | De facto | In a project called the Lethler Experiment, Erusia's leader, Robert Lethler, pretended it was not a one-man nation and made elaborate claims about its history. The revelations about its true nature in 2010 were a major event in the history of the MicroWiki community. |
 Skovaji
|
August–October 2016 | De facto | Final months of its history after just under two years of not being a one-man nation. |
 Howetanese Republic
|
October 2014 – August 2016 | De jure |
See also
References
- ↑ Blackwood, Ives. Introduction to the Intermicronational Association. August 2017.
- ↑ Winter, Bronwyn. "Where Is the ʺPost-9/11 Worldʺ?", in Women, Insecurity, and Violence in a Post-9/11 World, p. 28. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Principality of Hutt River: A Territory Marooned in the Western Australian Outback, Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures, 2018.
- ↑ Anderson, Ryan. Islands Within an Almost Island: History, myth, and aislamiento in Baja California, Mexico, Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures, 2016.