AbstractsLaw & Legal Studies

“The Eritrean Askari believes to be the best soldier in the world!” : How the Eritrean colonial soldiers were represented in Italian military memoirs

by Aldo Giuseppe Scarselli




Institution: Leiden University
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: askari; ascari; black soldiers; colonial army; italian colonialism
Record ID: 1270048
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/1887/31677


Abstract

This research focuses on how the Italian colonial officers described and envisioned the askari troops recruited in Eritrea during Italian colonial expansion. Through descriptions of battles, war performances, uses, religions and appearance, the Italians attempted to create a cohesive and univocal model for the askari, at the same time exploring the realities they encountered. Describing the askari was not only a normative endeavour, but also a way to grasp and understand the colony according to the Italian view.