Colonial Intimacy: The Rechenberg Scandal and Homosexuality in German East Africa.

HOMOSEXUALITY; COLONIAL administration; POLITICAL doctrines; IMPERIALISM; SAME-sex relationships; GAY male relationships; SEX scandals; GAY men

This article highlights the perceived danger that homosexuality posed for the colonial enterprise in German East Africa. It deals with the rumor, accusations, and public slander that fed off the real and imagined potential for pursuing same-sex desire in the colonial context. It also tackles the issue of political struggles that could take place within the colonial society. An examination of the cases involved with the Rechenberg scandal in 1910 in German East Africa provides a comparison with the better-known Eulenburg scandal that affected the German government.