Between Intimacy and Violence: Imperial Encounters in East Africa during the First World War
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
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Between Intimacy and Violence : Imperial Encounters in East Africa during the First World War. / Steinbach, Daniel.
Colonial Encounters in a Time of Global Conflict, 1914-1918. ed. / Santanu Das; Anna Maguire; Daniel Steinbach. London : Routledge, 2022. p. 98-122.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
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TY - CHAP
T1 - Between Intimacy and Violence
T2 - Imperial Encounters in East Africa during the First World War
AU - Steinbach, Daniel
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - During the First World War, Britain assembled in British East Africa (Kenya) imperial troops from across Africa, India, Europe and the West Indies for the conquest of German East Africa (Tanzania). This moment of inter-imperial and international encounter between white British and colonial soldiers is explored in this chapter. Firstly, the process of observation, adaptation and subjugation is explored among the newly arriving soldiers from Britain as they encounter African and Indian soldiers. The second focus is the shared daily lives of British soldiers and their African servants. Racist paternalism and brutal force were never far from the surface in these interactions, but dependencies and control oscillated, creating opportunities for African staff and frustrations for the British men. Finally, the assertion of colonial power over the colonial body through extreme violence is explored as the sharp divisions and differences between men from Britain and those from the colonies were made most starkly manifest. On one side, we have those who could inflict violence and on the other those who were subjected to this violence, despite both fighting on the same side in the war. Rather than being transformative, these encounters between Europeans and Africans strongly reinforced established colonial worldviews.
AB - During the First World War, Britain assembled in British East Africa (Kenya) imperial troops from across Africa, India, Europe and the West Indies for the conquest of German East Africa (Tanzania). This moment of inter-imperial and international encounter between white British and colonial soldiers is explored in this chapter. Firstly, the process of observation, adaptation and subjugation is explored among the newly arriving soldiers from Britain as they encounter African and Indian soldiers. The second focus is the shared daily lives of British soldiers and their African servants. Racist paternalism and brutal force were never far from the surface in these interactions, but dependencies and control oscillated, creating opportunities for African staff and frustrations for the British men. Finally, the assertion of colonial power over the colonial body through extreme violence is explored as the sharp divisions and differences between men from Britain and those from the colonies were made most starkly manifest. On one side, we have those who could inflict violence and on the other those who were subjected to this violence, despite both fighting on the same side in the war. Rather than being transformative, these encounters between Europeans and Africans strongly reinforced established colonial worldviews.
U2 - 10.4324/9781315112671-6
DO - 10.4324/9781315112671-6
M3 - Book chapter
SN - 9781138082106
SP - 98
EP - 122
BT - Colonial Encounters in a Time of Global Conflict, 1914-1918
A2 - Das, Santanu
A2 - Maguire, Anna
A2 - Steinbach, Daniel
PB - Routledge
CY - London
ER -
ID: 255315072