Textual and pictorial narrative of genocide. A critical edition of the written and photographic legacy of Lothar von Trotha, commander-in-chief of the colonial troops in German South West Africa from 1904 to 1905

• Applicant: Dr. Andreas Eckl
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 449370248

The project aims to contribute to a highly topical subject by a critical edition of the photographic and written legacy of Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha, commander in chief of the Colonial Troops in German South West Africa from 1904 to 1905. By imposition of martial law Lothar von Trotha had dictatorial powers and is commonly regarded as the main culprit of genocide. The project is based on, firstly, the hitherto inaccessible handwritten original of the ap. 900-page “war diary” by Lothar von Trotha, secondly a hitherto completely unknown holdings of personal documents of the general, and thirdly a photo album of General von Trotha, titled "Images from the war in South West Africa by Lieutenant-General v. Trotha" which so far has not received any attention by researchers. For the first time, Trotha’s family association as administrator of the legacy of Lothar von Trotha grants comprehensive insight into von Trotha’s devise and confer right to its publication. Diary and photo album will be critically edited. Additionally, the handwritten original of the diary will also be made accessible to the public as a facsimile, either online or in form of a print version, in order to ensure that the edition can be checked. The critical edition of the General’s legacy intends to provide the scientific community and the interested public with the opportunity to examine the role of the commander-in-chief in the process of violence and its escalation and to reassess it in the light of previously unknown or inaccessible sources. In view of the partial precarious sources, this project promises a high gain of knowledge regarding the first genocide of the 20th century.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants