Charisma und Gehorsam. Zur Semantik kolonialer agency in der deutschen Kolonialliteratur

Abstract

This article analyzes German colonial literature as a genre preoccupied with issues of colonial power and obedience. While narratives concerned with colonial power usually centre on the relationship between the ruling colonizers and the (dis-)obedient colonized, I highlight the intricate correlation between the repressive militaristic drill and bureaucratic subordination in Wilhelmine culture and the longing for personal freedom in the colonial realm. The novels discussed here depict the challenges of establishing a functioning colonial administration and aim to establish colonial protagonists who are both obedient to bureaucratic rules and able to make independent decisions if necessary. Thus, the novels participate in a discourse on obedience and agency in a colonial context that is closely related to the domestic discourses of submission and oppression in the Kaiserreich.