A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...

capital does not only reterritorialize to achieve conformity, but also deterritorializes to
create differences and hierarchies between German and African, have and have-not.
The Political Aspects of Colonial Expansionism
This examination will describe general German colonial policy, specific
articulations of policy in the realm of law, tax and military force and finally domestic
political issues. With reference to the forces of deterritorialization and
reterritorialization, this analysis attempts to incorporate African experiences by stressing
the fluidity of action-reaction, and does not categorize political expressions in solely
German terms like the many excessively managerial or statist histories. As the political
also provides the foundation of notions of power, this inquiry works to highlight the
rhizomatic, nomadologic and schizoanalytic elements within deterritorialization. The
discussion of government policy was purposely left to the end of the analysis in order to
facilitate thought about the vivid connections between the social, cultural and economic
spheres distinct from government colonial policy.
The study of colonial policy can do much to highlight the German desire for
expansion in its colonies. Nevertheless, there were also examples of quietude or stasis in
government policy. For example, not all administrators always chose a forward policy of
expansionism. The first governor of East Africa frequently opted out of further
commitments in the unsecured hinterland for fiscal reasons, choosing instead to
consolidate existing territory. 40 In some circumstances, even the K-A and RKA would
advocate maintenance of territory rather than dangerous over-stretching in conquest of
81