Colonial Internationalism and the Governmentality of Empire, 1893–1982

436 Pages·2022·15.349 MB·English

by  Florian Wagner

COLONIAL INTERNATIONALISM
AND THE GOVERNMENTALITY
–
OF EMPIRE, 1893 1982
In1893,agroupofcolonialofficialsfromthirteencountriesabandonedtheir
imperial rivalry and established the International Colonial Institute (ICI),
whichbecametheworld’smostimportantcolonialthinktankofthetwentieth
century. Through the lens of the ICI, Florian Wagner argues that this
international cooperation reshaped colonialism as a transimperial and
governmentalpolicy.ThebookdemonstratesthattheICI’sstrategyofusing
indigenousinstitutionsandcustomarylawstoencouragecolonialdevelop-
mentservedtomaintaincolonialruleevenbeyondtheofficialendofempires.
ByselectivelychoosingloyalistsamongthecolonizedtoparticipateintheICI,
itincreasedtheirautonomywhileequallydelegitimizingmoreradicalclaims
forindependence.ThebookpresentsadetailedstudyoftheICI’screation,the
transcolonialactivities of itsprominent members,itsinteractionswith the
LeagueofNationsandfascistgovernments,anditsroleinlayingtheground-
work for the structural and discursive dependence of the Global South
after1945.
  is Assistant Professor of History at the University
ofErfurt.
Global and International History
SeriesEditors
ErezManela,HarvardUniversity
HeatherStreets-Salter,NortheasternUniversity
The Global and International History series seeks to highlight and explore the
convergencesbetweenthenewInternationalHistoryandthenewWorldHistory.
Itseditorsareinterestedinapproachesthatmixtraditionalunitsofanalysissuch
as civilizations, nations and states with other concepts such as transnationalism,
diasporas,andinternationalinstitutions.
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COLONIAL
INTERNATIONALISM AND
THE GOVERNMENTALITY
–
OF EMPIRE, 1893 1982
FLORIAN WAGNER
UniversityofErfurt
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,VIC3207,Australia
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CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781316512838
DOI:10.1017/9781009072229
©FlorianWagner2022
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2022
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
ISBN978-1-316-51283-8Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracy
ofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
This book is dedicated to Levi Valentin Wagner.

CONTENTS
Listof Figures viii
Acknowledgments ix
Listof Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1 “More Beautiful than theNationalist Thought”? Colonialist
Fraternization and the Birth ofTransnationalCooperation 24
2 ATranscolonial GovernmentalitySui Generis: The Invention of
EmulativeDevelopment 64
3 Politics of Comparison: The Dutch Modelandthe Reformof
Colonial Training Schools 110
4 Cultivatingthe Myth of TranscolonialProgress: The ICI and the
Global Career of Buitenzorg’sAgronomic Laboratory 149
5 The Adatization ofIslamic Law and MuslimCodes
ofDevelopment 173
6 Creating an“Anti-GenevaBloc”and theQuestion
ofRepresentivity 209
7 Inventing Fascist Eurafrica attheVolta Congress 257
8 False Authenticity:The Fokon’olona and the Cooperative
World Commonwealth 281
9 “That Has Been OurProgram for Fifty Years”: Sustained
Development and Loyal Emancipationafter 1945 315
Conclusion 349
Bibliography 357
Index 409
vii
FIGURES
1.1 MeetingoftheINCIDI(formerICI)atLisbonin1957 62
3.1 GermancolonialofficerandDutchtelegraphoperatorplayingchessinYap
(CarolineIslands) 121
4.1 FrenchGovernor-GeneralofIndochinaPierrePasquiervisitsJava,dinner
inthegarden,around1929 171
7.1 ItalianfascistsvisitingtheNazi-Reichskolonialbundaround1938 265
9.1 OpeningmeetingoftheINCIDI’ssessioninPalermoin1963 345
viii