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Neun Stämme: Das Erbe der Indigenen und die Wurzeln der Moderne
Was haben Montaignes Kulturkritik und die amerikanische Demokratie, Freuds Totemismus-Theorie und Lévi-Strauss' Strukturalismus, Brücke-Maler und Surrealisten, Hippies und die Sexuelle Revolution miteinander gemein? Karl-Heinz Kohl zeigt am Beispiel von neun Stämmen, wie diese und viele andere Theorien, avantgardistische Strömungen, Emanzipations- und Protestbewegungen vom faszinierten Blick auf indigene Völker geprägt wurden. Er erklärt, wie die Indigenen sich die Faszination des Westens selbst zunutze machten und wie eng verflochten die scheinbar so gegensätzlichen Welten in der Moderne sind. Sein anschaulich und fesselnd geschriebenes Buch ist ein großer Wurf, der die Debatten über "kulturelle Aneignung" neu beleben wird.
Seit den ersten großen Entdeckungsfahrten an der Schwelle zur Neuzeit haben Berichte von fremden Ländern und Menschen die Europäer in ihren Bann geschlagen. Ihre Nacktheit hat europäische Sitten in Frage gestellt. Ihre Gesellschaftsordnungen haben Protestbewegungen beflügelt. Ihre Kunst hat die europäischen Avantgarden inspiriert. Und ethnographische Beschreibungen haben – von Friedrich Engels' materialistischer Geschichtsauffassung bis zum postkolonialen «Anthropophagismus» – zu einer Flut an Theorien geführt, die teils bis heute unser Bild vom Menschen prägen. Karl-Heinz Kohl erklärt, warum der Westen vor allem in neun Stämmen sein Alter Ego gefunden hat. Er geht den Berichten über sie nach, erzählt anschaulich, wie sie über 200 Jahre lang die europäische Kultur auf den Kopf gestellt haben, und zeigt an vielen überraschenden Beispielen, wie sich auch die indigenen Kulturen in diesem Prozess verändert haben.
Seit den ersten großen Entdeckungsfahrten an der Schwelle zur Neuzeit haben Berichte von fremden Ländern und Menschen die Europäer in ihren Bann geschlagen. Ihre Nacktheit hat europäische Sitten in Frage gestellt. Ihre Gesellschaftsordnungen haben Protestbewegungen beflügelt. Ihre Kunst hat die europäischen Avantgarden inspiriert. Und ethnographische Beschreibungen haben – von Friedrich Engels' materialistischer Geschichtsauffassung bis zum postkolonialen «Anthropophagismus» – zu einer Flut an Theorien geführt, die teils bis heute unser Bild vom Menschen prägen. Karl-Heinz Kohl erklärt, warum der Westen vor allem in neun Stämmen sein Alter Ego gefunden hat. Er geht den Berichten über sie nach, erzählt anschaulich, wie sie über 200 Jahre lang die europäische Kultur auf den Kopf gestellt haben, und zeigt an vielen überraschenden Beispielen, wie sich auch die indigenen Kulturen in diesem Prozess verändert haben.
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2024
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 18, 2025
"A book about indigenous peoples written by a close-to-be-retired white man called Karl-Heinz, can that actually work?" That was honestly the question I asked myself before buying "Nine tribes [Neun Stämme]" by Karl-Heinz Kohl - and boy, how it works!
Fueled by an entire career as an ethnologist, Kohl delivers a panopticum of indigenous tribes all over the world. According to his reasoning, the lifestyle of said tribes not only was threatened (mostly colonized or flat-out destroyed) by "Western civilization", but actually fueled it itself with their ideas and traditions. From South-American cannibalism via West African mythology to Oceanic political organization, he delivers fascinating insights into how (e.g.) European philosophers used native ("tribal") traditions to develop their well-known ideas.
Kohl finds the perfect middle ground between the equally despicable extremes "demonization of indigenous people" and their "romanticization". At the same time, his respect for and knowledge of indigineous traditions pours out of every chapter. It sounds simple, but too often Western scientists do not manage to treat their study objects as actual, "normal" subjects: Of course indigineous traditions have to be respected, but also of course it happens that these traditions are commercialized or even (partially) made up to satisfy tourists.
For an audience that already has a broad cultural, philosophical and historic background of the modern age, Kohl creates a perfect synthesis of enriching and stimulating knowledge without excluding every non-ethnologist on the planet.
That having said, if you have to look up names and terms such as "Voltaire", "dadaism" or "Mali", be prepared for a challenge. The book would still be readable, but it is certainly written for an academic audience who are eager to widen their horizon and be surprised by cases studies from all over the world.
For experiences like this, it does help to know a good bookstore who actually display hidden gems like this one - I would never have come across this book otherwise.
Thus, support your local bookstore!
[German language]
Fueled by an entire career as an ethnologist, Kohl delivers a panopticum of indigenous tribes all over the world. According to his reasoning, the lifestyle of said tribes not only was threatened (mostly colonized or flat-out destroyed) by "Western civilization", but actually fueled it itself with their ideas and traditions. From South-American cannibalism via West African mythology to Oceanic political organization, he delivers fascinating insights into how (e.g.) European philosophers used native ("tribal") traditions to develop their well-known ideas.
Kohl finds the perfect middle ground between the equally despicable extremes "demonization of indigenous people" and their "romanticization". At the same time, his respect for and knowledge of indigineous traditions pours out of every chapter. It sounds simple, but too often Western scientists do not manage to treat their study objects as actual, "normal" subjects: Of course indigineous traditions have to be respected, but also of course it happens that these traditions are commercialized or even (partially) made up to satisfy tourists.
For an audience that already has a broad cultural, philosophical and historic background of the modern age, Kohl creates a perfect synthesis of enriching and stimulating knowledge without excluding every non-ethnologist on the planet.
That having said, if you have to look up names and terms such as "Voltaire", "dadaism" or "Mali", be prepared for a challenge. The book would still be readable, but it is certainly written for an academic audience who are eager to widen their horizon and be surprised by cases studies from all over the world.
For experiences like this, it does help to know a good bookstore who actually display hidden gems like this one - I would never have come across this book otherwise.
Thus, support your local bookstore!
[German language]
Displaying 1 of 1 review