This study analyzes the travelogues of European travelers to Africa and asks how the encounters between the Europeans and the "strangers" were then turned into knowledgeable publications.



A trip to the depths of precolonial Africa was always a risky undertaking for Europeans. Yet many cultured travelers took on this risk in order to visit previously unknown territories. And then they published their comprehensive travelogues. The author of this volume takes a look at these many knowledge-creating travelogues and how they evolved. She shows that the travelogues combined very individual experiences of uncertainty with socially colored perceptions. These examples of trips to the Ethiopian Highlands show that the "strangers" in these travelogues were not just projection surfaces, but also remain characters of their own accord.