Companies and the Colonial Past

Companies operate in a globalized world—and they did so 150 years ago, in a world profoundly shaped by colonialism and imperialism. While the age of colonialism is over, its legacies continue to shape global inequalities, economic structures, and cultural narratives.

In recent years, colonial history—especially German colonialism—has become a vital and dynamic field of academic inquiry. Scholars are examining the role of private business actors in colonial expansion, the economic dimensions of imperial rule, and the long-term effects of colonial systems on global capitalism. Approaches such as the New History of Capitalism and research on global commodity chains have sharpened the focus on economic entanglements. At the same time, the increasing availability of corporate archives is opening up new methodological and empirical avenues for research.

This symposium provides a forum for this growing body of research and aims to foster dialogue between historians, companies, and other relevant stakeholders. It addresses both thematic and methodological questions concerning German companies and their colonial pasts. “Colonial past” is understood in the broadest possible sense, encompassing corporate activities in any colonial context—from the age of imperialism through decolonization and into the postcolonial present.

The program focuses in particular on the role of companies—especially German ones—in shaping, maintaining, and benefiting from colonial structures. It is organized around four thematic blocks:

- Archives and Sources, highlighting the potential and challenges of corporate records in exploring colonial entanglements;
- Trade and Consumption, examining trading practices and consumer cultures in colonial contexts;
- Engagements, Markets, and (Post)Colonial Conditions, and
- Infrastructure, addressing how businesses contributed to the development and exploitation of colonial infrastructure.

Today, companies are increasingly confronted with calls for transparency and engagement regarding their historical entanglements in colonial contexts. The symposium thus also aims to contribute to historically grounded, research-based perspectives on corporate responsibility, remembrance culture, and the role of business in colonial and postcolonial history.

The conference will be held in English.

Please register for the event via the following link:
https://unternehmensgeschichte.de/public/symp2025

You can also register via the GUGwebsite:
https://unternehmensgeschichte.de/Veranstaltungskalender

The Symposium is organized by Prof. Dr. Alexander Engel, Dr. Marie Huber, Prof. Dr. Nina Kleinöder, Dr. Martin Müller, and Prof. Dr. Joachim Scholtyseck.

For questions regarding the academic program, please contact Nina Kleinöder: nina.kleinoeder@uni-bamberg.de

For organizational matters, please contact Christiane Borchert:
borchert@unternehmensgeschichte.de