Academic Scientific JournalsInternal Decolonisation. New Caledonia’s Hybrid Statehood in Context of the Agreements with the Government of the French Republic
Keywords:
Bougival Accord, decolonisation, France, identity, Matignon Accords, New Caledonia, Nouméa AccordAbstract
This article aims to analyze the emergence of New Caledonia’s hybrid statehood within the framework of French-controlled decolonization, grassroots pressure from independence movements and the activities of groups seeking to maintain enduring links with metropolitan France. It is based on an analysis of the Matignon Accords (1988), the Nouméa Accord (1998) and the Bougival Accord (2025). It addresses questions concerning the evolution of political autonomy and symbolic sovereignty, strategies for maintaining relations with France, and institutional mechanisms for managing sovereignty conflicts. The article uses the theory of small states as a theoretical framework to interpret New Caledonia’s emerging hybrid statehood model as an attempt to strike a balance between maintaining dependence and striving for independence.
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