Writing Transimperial Histories from/of the Belgian Congo

Reflections on a Historiography in the Making

Abstract

This article investigates the neglect of the Belgian colonial empire – particularly the Belgian Congo – in the burgeoning field of transimperial history. It explores this omission from both a historical and historiographical perspective, not to advocate for an umpteenth academic ‘turn’, but rather to reflect on the Belgian empire’s ambivalent relationship to internationalism and comparisons and its impact on knowledge production about the Congo’s colonial past. Drawing on existing literature and the author’s empirical research on the history of sexual violence, racial psychology and military engagements in the two World Wars, the article considers what insights a transimperial lens could bring to the study of the Belgian empire, identifying new thematic and analytical possibilities, and conversely, how the Belgian case might contribute to (and eventually challenge) transimperial historiography. Ultimately, the article invites reflection on the specificities of Congo’s historiographical treatment within the broader landscape of imperial histories.