The use of camps in colonial warfare

This article provides a comparative historical overview of the use of camps in colonial warfare. It investigates two phases in the evolution of camps: the first generation of camps that emerged around 1900 in Cuba, the Philippines, South Africa and German Southwest Africa and post-Second World War camps in the wars of decolonisation in Malaya, Kenya and Algeria. It posits that the history of camps in colonial warfare is characterised by an evolution from camps as institutions aimed at the punishment of those who supported an insurgency or rebellion towards a function that focused on the ‘rehabilitation’ of the inmates, even though this often involved torture. However, the article also outlines differences between camps in the comparative perspective and argues that the political circumstances of conflicts in the colonies, most importantly the existence of settlers and the potential for economic exploitation, played a role regarding the concrete functions and roles of camps.