Humboldt’scher Forscherdrang und britische Kolonialinteressen: Die Indien- und Hochasien-Reise der Brüder Schlagintweit (1854-1858)

This chapter has three major aims. First, it analyses the mechanisms behind the recruitment of German scholars into the service of the British Empire in India around the mid-19th century. It explores how the German lands were integrated into the knowledge networks of the Company-Raj, and how Berlin acted as a hub for scientific research on the geography and history of South and “High Asia”. Second, the work exposes the colonial context, in which the Schlagintweit mission took place, and demonstrates that the expedition and its scientific practices were heavily influenced by the imperial ambitions of the British in Asia. This was reflected in the wealth of information and material objects gathered by the brothers and their entourage with a view to expanding British trade, and also agricultural and settlement schemes, further into the Himalayas and beyond. Third, using a range of hitherto unexplored sources, the work critically examines the myth of the Schlagintweit brothers as supposedly ‘heroic’ solitary travellers. It places emphasis on the constant cross-cultural encounters and forms of collaboration with a number of indigenous assistants and guides that decisively shaped the execution and the scientific results of the entire expedition.