Overview

Only in recent years has the history of European colonial concentration camps in Africa—in which thousands of prisoners died in appalling conditions—become widely known beyond a handful of specialists. Although they preceded the Third Reich by many decades, the camps’ newfound notoriety has led many to ask to what extent they anticipated the horrors of the Holocaust. Were they designed for mass killing, a misbegotten attempt at modernization, or something else entirely? A Sad Fiasco confronts this difficult question head-on, reconstructing the actions of colonial officials in both British South Africa and German South-West Africa as well as the experiences of internees to explore both the similarities and the divergences between the African camps and their Nazi-era successors.

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9781789203264

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This meticulous study is a must read for scholars and students interested in (African) prison/camp history and German and British colonialism... Those with an interest in forced labour will take away as much as those reading for information on the postcolonial `continuity thesis'. Journal of Namibian Studies A convincing and readable study on colonial concentration camps with spectacular analysis supported by excellent research. In agreeably sober language, Jonas Kreienbaum uses a broad selection of material to convincingly reconstruct the aims, practices, and functions of colonial concentration camps. Historische Zeitschrift An important research work that successfully fills gaps previously ignored by the historical literature. Zeitschrift fur Geschichtswissenschaft

Author Information

Jonas Kreienbaum is a lecturer at the Historical Institute of the University of Rostock. He holds a doctorate in modern history from Humboldt University Berlin and has worked extensively on colonial history, decolonization, and mass violence.

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