100 years since the end of German colonial rule in Namibia, the relationship between the former colonial power and the Namibian communities who were affected by its brutal colonial policies remains problematic, and interpretations of the past are still contested. This book examines the ongoing debates, conflicts and confrontations over the past. It scrutinises the consequences of German colonial rule, its impact on the descendants of victims of the 1904–08 genocide, Germany’s historical responsibility, and ways in which post-colonial reconciliation might be achieved. REINHART KÖSSLER is currently Director of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute and Professor in the Politics Department of the University of Freiburg, Germany. His research includes social and development theory, political sociology and memory politics. Namibia and Germany: Negotiating the Past Reinhart Kössler University of Namibia Press www.unam.edu.na/unam-press
[email protected] Private Bag 13301 Windhoek Namibia © Reinhart Kössler, 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, e.g. electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the author. First published: 2015 Cover photograph: Nicola Brandt, Spectre (2013), from her exhibition The Earth Inside, National Art Gallery of Namibia, 2014 Cover design: Steffen List Copy-editing: Tara Elyssa Design and layout: Vivien Barnes, Handmade Communications Printed by: John Meinert Printers, Windhoek ISBN 978-99916-42-09-3 Distributed internationally by the African Books Collective: www.africanbookscollective.com Westfälisches Dampfboot Verlag, Freiburg, has the English language rights for Germany, Austria and Switzerland: www.dampfboot-verlag.de ‘Even in brutality the inherited dress is sacred.