Colonialism in Discourse

Abstract

The discourse of overseas ‘colonialism’ (or ‘imperialism’) is a rich source for the study of Europeans’ attitudes towards the non- European Other.¹ German colonialist writing, particularly that of the era predating the First World War, was primarily produced by the European Self and reflected an egocentrism that imagined its own values as having unique and universal legitimacy. It concentrated on the importance of the colonies for the colonizer and justified the process of colonization. The colonized Others were seldom given a voice or allowed to create images for themselves in German discourse. Since, during the major periods of colonization, the Self viewed the Other from outside as an imperfect but perfectible version of itself, the European took upon himself the right to control and make practical use of the Other. It is this ideology that permeates German colonial discourse of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.