HAR is pleased to announce one of the latest releases from Encyclopédie Bérose des histoires de l’anthropologie: an article (in English) on the ambiguous collecting practices of the German ethnographer Günter Tessmann.
BEROSE reference: Fürniss, Susanne, Kathrin Grotz & Patricia Rahemipour, 2025. “Colonial ‘Collecting’ and the Creation of ‘Collectibles’: Günter Tessmann in Kamerun (1904–1909),” Encyclopédie Bérose des histoires de l’anthropologie. https://doi.org/10.70601/1otsze8.
This article explores how the collection of objects during colonial expeditions transformed them from natural or cultural items into coveted commodities, entangled with power, economic interests, and scientific pursuits. By shifting the focus from the objects themselves to the collectors’ motivations and networks, the study reveals the nuanced dynamics behind the creation of “collectibles” and their lasting impact on knowledge production. Günter Tessmann (1884–1964) was a German explorer and ethnographer renowned for his extensive fieldwork in Africa and South America during the early 20th century. He devoted much of his life to collecting artifacts and studying indigenous cultures, making significant contributions to ethnographic knowledge.
Drawing on Tessmann’s extensive autobiographical notes, Fürniss, Grotz and Rahemipour examine the complex motivations, personal biography, and networks that shaped his collecting practices, showing how power, racist beliefs, economic interests, and scientific curiosity intertwined. By focusing on the collector rather than the objects, the article offers a fresh perspective on provenance and knowledge production, while critically examining the often-problematic histories of collection practices rooted in colonialism, racism, and asymmetrical power relations. Through Tessmann’s expeditions to the Fang in Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and Gabon—with particular attention to the Pangwe Expedition (1907–1909)—readers gain insight into the intricate relationships among collectors, museums, and local communities, as well as colonial field practices. The study also highlights the contributions of tradition-holders and other “research assistants” to the work of ethnologists and scientists, revealing their crucial role in the collection and construction of Western scientific knowledge during the colonial period.
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