Histories of violence, 1: Learning to wage and win wars in Africa. A history of German military activity in Congo, Tanzania, China and Namibia

Dr Jan-Bart Gewald, researcher at the African Studies Centre, is a historian who has done extensive research on the genocide perpetrated by the Germans on the Herero of Namibia. His publications include Herero Heroes: A Socio-Political History of the Herero of Namibia 1890 - 1923 (1999) and “We Thought We Would be Free": Socio-Cultural Aspects of Herero History in Namibia 1920-1940 (2000).

This seminar, in dealing with the activities of the German military in Congo, Tanzania, China and Namibia, will concentrate on the manner in which the theory and practice of war are learnt, modified and transferred from one war setting to the next. The seminar argues that the manner in which violence is committed is subject to learning and trends, as well as historical context.