Written culture and the Cape Khoikhoi: From travel writingto Kolb’s ‘Full Description’

Abstract

A significant change in the representation of the Khoikhoi occurred in the 18th century. Increasingly, the Khoikhoi came to be depicted with a degree of sympathy, and joined the ranks of that growing category of humanity that enlightened Europeans came to identify as 'noble savages'. It is the purpose of this chapter to argue that this change in opinion was largely the result of the publication of Kolb's book about the Cape, which contained the most detailed and sympathetic description of the Khoikhoi to that date. It is also the author's intention to demonstrate that Kolb's book marked an important stage in the evolution of what he might call 'travel literature' into a genre akin to the scientific compilation of knowledge. Of great significance is the transformation that written culture, or established European knowledge about the Khoikhoi, underwent in the colonial context. Keywords:Cape Khoikhoi; enlightened Europeans; travel literature; Written culture