Human Porterage and Colonial State Formation in German East Africa, 1880s–1914 Tensions of Transport

“Andreas Greiner’s book, based on his PhD dissertation, explores the tensions of porterage and caravan transport in German East Africa during the three decades of German colonial occupation. ... The book is composed of seven chapters, including the 'Introduction' and the 'Epilogue.' ... The book convincingly shows that conflict and compromise were part of the German colonial presence in Tanzania.” (Pedro Cerdeira, The Journal of Transport History, January 19, 2026)

“In his doctoral thesis at the ETH Zürich, Andreas Greiner tried to come to a better understanding of colonial state formation in German East Africa through the lens of human porterage. … Based on this doctoral research … published the reviewed monograph with the fitting subtitle ‘Tensions of Transport’. … Greiner does an excellent job reconstructing and explaining the practical and moral dilemmas the German colonizers were facing in East Africa.” (Geert Castryck, H-Soz-Kult, hsozkult.de, May 30, 2024)