Meeting of the network in Hamburg From 23 to 25 March 2026, the DFG-funded research network “(Post-)Colonial Business History” convened at the University of Hamburg for its latest internal meeting. Over three days, network members cam...

Our DFG-funded research network @pocobusiness.bsky.social just wrapped up three productive days in Hamburg: working sessions, an excursion to the Hanseatisches Wirtschaftsarchiv, and planning for our closing meeting in Berlin 2027. CfP coming soon. pcbh.hypotheses.org/569

The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History Business and Labour in German Colonialism. Volume 54, Issue 1 of The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History

Want to know more about current research on the German colonial Empire?

Check out our new Special Issue on Labour and Business in german Colonialism.

www.tandfonline.com/toc/fich20/c...

Out now! Check out out upcoming Special issue on Business and Labour in German Colonialism.

Thanks for this great collaboration
@pocobusiness.bsky.social
@jzurlage.bsky.social
@debneill.bsky.social
Mona Rudolph
Michael Rösser

In memory of Professor Shakila Yacob It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the passing of our colleague and valued network member Professor Shakila Yacob. She was a leading business historian, widely respected and highly valued...

In memory of Professor Shakila Yacob @pocobusiness.bsky.social pcbh.hypotheses.org/543

Unser @coloniallegacy.bsky.social neues Buch ist da. Vielen Dank an @jzurlage.bsky.social für das Mitherausgeben und das Auspacken🙏🥂🥂

Hurra 🥂 Das neueste Buch von @coloniallegacy.bsky.social ist da!
"Global Memories of German Colonialism" hrsg. von @jzurlage.bsky.social & mir
Und noch dazu Open Access: hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de/oa-pub/catal...

About to start at Universität Innsbruck: (Un)Freedom in Global Perspective, organized by F. Ambach and E. Taddei.
See more: www.uibk.ac.at/events/2025/...

The Global Researcher: How to Think Big and Dig Deep by Shakila Yacob This three-part blog series, drawn from my own personal experience, is written for young, emerging scholars embarking on new and exciting research projects. It offers tips and insight...

"The Global Researcher: How to Think Big and Dig Deep" by Shakila Yacob, now on the Blog of @pocobusiness.bsky.social:

pcbh.hypotheses.org/219

I finally made it here and am happy to share the CfP for a small workshop I am hosting @coloniallegacy.bsky.social in Hamburg in March. Anyone working on "Animals and Empire" with methods of provenance research is welcome to apply until January 19.

kolonialismus.blogs.uni-hamburg.de/2024/12/20/c...

Hurra! Ich freue mich, dass meine lebensgeschichtliche Studie zum Hamburger Tropenmediziner & Gesundheitsmanager Bernhard Nocht im WallsteinVerlag
erschienen ist! Mit einem Vorwort von @juergenzimmerer.bsky.social! Insgesamt erscheint Nocht als Teilhaber einer "kolonialen Generation".

To stay updated with our @dfgpublic.bsky.social network "(Post-)Colonial Business History," be sure to follow us:

bsky.app/profile/poco...

Minderheitengeschichten digital: Über den Versuch, prosopografische Daten zu nicht-weißen Menschen im Hamburger Raum aufzubereiten von Annika Bärwald und Josefa Cassimo Wie verwandelt man einen Datensatz voller heterogener prosopografischer Angaben in eine einfache, aber funktionale Datenbank, mit der andere Forschende weiterarbe...

Minderheitengeschichten digital: Über den Versuch, prosopografische Daten zu nicht-weißen Menschen im Hamburger Raum (1760-1840) aufzubereiten. dhlab.hypotheses.org/5756

Wunderbar, unsere Veranstaltung am Freitag ist schon plakatiert. Freue mich sehr, zusammen mit @jzurlage.bsky.social über Skaverei, Hamburg und @coloniallegacy.bsky.social sprechen zu dürfen.
Und schon die Plakate werden wirken, und auf diese vergessene Geschichte hinweisen.

Last call zur Teilnahme an unserem Workshop „(Post-)koloniale Provenienzforschung in Theorie und Praxis“ (31.7.) @coloniallegacy.bsky.social
kolonialismus.blogs.uni-hamburg.de/2024/07/30/a...

Am Donnerstrag, 4. Juli, spreche ich an der UHH über "Baakenhafen, Woermann und der Völkermord an den Herero und Nama" @coloniallegacy.bsky.social

Welcome to the Post-Colonial Business History Network (PCBH)!
We are a network of historians focusing on colonial and postcolonial business histories. Join us for updates on our activities, member intros, and more.
@nkleinoeder.bsky.social @aengel.bsky.social @jzurlage.bsky.social

Would be very interested in additional information as well, but unfortunately Hamburg's archival sources on particular ships for 17c are very limited, most only start in the late 18c. See recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5.... + recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5....

English involvement with Hamburg is covered in more depth for 18/19c, but I mention it briefly in relation to the Scandinavian companies operating in northern Germany in the text linked, which is focused on 17C (and to a lesser degree 1 and 4).
kolonialismus.blogs.uni-hamburg.de/2024/03/27/h...

Of course, this online series should not be the last word on Hamburg’s involvement in slavery, on the contrary. I would love to hear about your work on the topic, particularly internationally, that is why I keep summarizing in English.

The map above is my attempt at a visual index of places mentioned in the series. See the link below for a zoomable version and a table of contents for all of the short case studies. Auto-translation should work fine for English. kolonialismus.blogs.uni-hamburg.de/2024/03/12/h...

See my next post for a link to a pdf version for better accessibility.

This week, I published the last installment of my series on Hamburg’s involvement in slavery. Given the scope (1600-1900 and all inhabited continents), I had to select a total of 10 examples that are in my opinion emblematic to give a concise, yet accessible overview.

The link below provides an overview of Hamburg's involvement in the so-called coolie trade. Unfortunately, research on the German role in this business prior to the 1880s is very limited, I intend to publish more on the topic in the future. kolonialismus.blogs.uni-hamburg.de/2024/05/16/ham

Over the past few weeks, I have published seven short texts on Hamburg's role in Atlantic slavery from the 16th to the 19th century. To wrap up my series, I will now continue with three more posts which cover the topic beyond formal slavery and the Atlantic World.

Hamburg und die Sklaverei (4) – Schwarze Menschen im frühneuzeitlichen Hamburg
👉Unsere Reihe geht weiter! @coloniallegacy.bsky.social
– Hamburgs (post-)koloniales Erbe kolonialismus.blogs.uni-hamburg.de/2024/04/09/h...

For this reason, the language is German, but in my experience automatic translation should work fine if you are interested and don't read German. Please find the overview of what is already published here, with weekly updates coming up. kolonialismus.blogs.uni-hamburg.de/2024/03/12/h...

Recently, I have started publishing a series of online texts on Hamburg's involvement in slavery. The format is aimed at a wider audience, as I am under the impression that public debates on the subject here in Hamburg would benefit from easily available academic input.

Cooking up the 3-year planning for our newly funded @DFG network (Post-)Colonial Business History at our first meeting in Bamberg last week. With 19 members from 7 countries, and @nkleinoeder.bsky.social and @aengel.bsky.social coordinating, we will foster interdisciplinary exchange and research.

In der Forschung ist eine dt. Rolle weniger umstritten. Nur: Es gibt X Studien zu westeuropäischen Hafenstädten, aber keine dieses Umfangs für deutsche. D.h. es geht hier erst mal um die empirische Basis. Dann ist jede Stadt ihr eigener Fall, aber Forschung zu Bremen ist z.B. für Hamburg relevant.

Das ist weniger in der Forschung vertreten als in Teilen der Öffentlichkeit, aus 'kolonialer Amnesie' oder aus Ablehnung die Aufarbeitung des kolonialen Erbes. Diese Sichtweise kommt auch aus dem historischen Selbstverständnis der Hansestädte im 19. Jhd., dass man nie Sklavenhandel betrieben hätte.

Ich kann hier nicht J.H. Hagedorn sprechen, aber versuchen, meinen subjektiven Eindruck der Forschungslandschaft zusammenzufassen: Wer zur dt. Rolle in der Sklaverei arbeitet, schreibt immer gegen das Verständnis an, dass die dt. Beteiligung an der Europ. Expansion vor 1885 marginal war.