A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...

y the K-A, the Admiralität, and the German Anti-Slavery Committee, a collaboration
between the DKG and some missionary societies. In 1894, complaints started to surface
about the expedition’s leader Wilhelm Langheld. It was alleged that efforts to curb the
trade in human beings were being counteracted by Langheld’s invasion of foreign
colonies, abuse of natives and acquisition of slaves. The government was eventually
forced to recall Langheld’s expedition in embarrassment. 40
While Langheld’s expedition is just a single case, the example is illustrative of the
anti-slavery campaigns designed not only to root out the slave trade, but also to open up
previously undiscovered territory to German commerce. The Anti-Slavery Committee
was only moderately philanthropic in its efforts. Besides paving the way for further
expansion, the committee funded such expeditions in order to garner interest in
colonialism, raise money for other ventures and enhance the prestige of the German
colonies. In relation to the interactions of deterritorialization, Langheld’s expedition was
a social deterritorialization of the European suppression of the slave trade practiced by
African “savages.” But the financial incentives of the slave trade proved too lucrative for
Langheld; consequently his trading and raiding for slaves became a reterritorialization of
the expedition’s mission. European “civilizing” impulses were hence blocked by local
reterritorializations when the economic benefits of slavery became apparent. As well, the
colonial government itself considered quasi-slavery to be necessary to the welfare of the
natives and the colonies themselves. 41 In this manner, the desires of the German
population were subverted by German officials in the colonies who identified the
imperative of this labour system for colonial survival.
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