At 03:12 08.12.01 -0500, you wrote:
>While we are on this topic of Africa and fiction, I recently acquired a
>stack of the original "dime novels" from 100 years ago that published
>allegations of cannibalism, head hunting and other nefarious acts of
>predation by native people on the "civilized" world of Great Britain in
>foreign lands. I am told these tales inspired H.C. Wells in many of his
>tales. These are totally outrageous slander on native people, but provide
>insight into the minds of explorers at the time.
>
>Ron May
>Legacy 106, Inc.


Not so much the explorers but rather the individual nations mentality
behind them. When I read this it struck me that we in Germany don't seem to
have such literature, although the German colonial policy was by no means
more favorable towards e.g the African people. But curiously enough in
North America it were mostly Germans who actively sought to help the
indigenous population (Carl Schurz). Were Germans still entangled in
romantictist ideas ?

An interesting topic ...


PD Dr. Detlef Gronenborn
_____________________________________
Otto-Friedrich-Universitaet, Bamberg
Archaeologie des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit
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Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universitaet, Frankfurt/M.
Seminar fuer Vor- und Fruehgeschichte
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Tel. (privat/home) +49-(0)69-17 38 17
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