Memories of German Colonialism in Tanzania

German colonial history in today Tanzania Mainlad is extensively documented, but it has not been studied from its memory perspective despite it being widely remembered among the Tanzanians. This book documents German colonial memories as shared cultural legacy that exists in forms of monuments, archives and historical sites. It also presents them as trans-generational memory narratives that live in people’s memories that are also commemorated in different ways like erection of war monuments. The book analyzes memories of colonialism from the historical perspective, showing how the collective memories like monuments and commemorations have undergone structural and institutional changes over time. The study uses Michael Rothberg’s multi-directional theory, together with other theoretical approaches to analyze various forms of German colonial memories in Tanzanian context. The findings, which are analyzed historically, indicate that the collective memories of the Germans are cultural, communicative, commemorative, functional and topographical. They are also traumatic as well as nostalgic.

"Reginald Kirey's Memories of German Colonialism in Tanzania is not only a detailed and interesting book, but - with the German Federal President's visit to Tanzania in November 2023 and his request for forgiveness - has also been published at the right time." - Henriette Seydel (Universität Augsburg) in: H-Soz-Kult, 18.01.2024, URL:

"All in all, Kirey's monograph serves a very important role in the scholarship by
shedding light on a heretofore neglected topic: the shifting memories and legacies
of German colonialism in Tanzania following Germany's defeat in World War I.
It is well-researched and well-written, with compelling case studies supported by
impressive amounts of qualitative and quantitative data." Eric Grube in: German Studies Review, 2/2024

Reginald Elias Kirey, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

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