Dr. Augustin Krämer: a German ethnologist in the Pacific

Abstract

This thesis examines the life of Dr. Augustin Friedrich Krämer (1865-1941), a key figure among early ethnologists of the Pacific. As a Marinearzt (Navy Surgeon) and naturalist and later as an ethnologist, Krämer visited the region on a number of occasions. Between the mid-1890s and 1911, he participated and engaged in five different and far-reaching expeditions to the Pacific. In doing so Krämer developed a keen interest in the peoples and cultures of Oceania. That interest found its expression not only in numerous publications and artefact collections on the region, but also in a lifelong interest in Völkerkunde (Ethnology) in general. The latter eventually saw him become Scientific Director of the Linden Museum in Stuttgart in 1911 and later lecturer for Völkerkunde and founder of the Ethnologisches Institut (Ethnological Institute) at the University of Tübingen in 1931. As such, Krämer has to be described as a pioneer ethnologist. However, whereas Krämer’s work is still held in high regards among Pacific Islanders and scholars interested in Oceania alike, his life and presence in the Pacific has escaped any wider attention. This fate applies also to Krämer’s contribution to development of Völkerkunde in Germany. By focusing on his travels and research in the Pacific, this thesis aims to provide a deeper understanding of the genesis and value of what he has left behind. In doing so it will also reassess the German contribution to the ethnological knowledge of Oceania. It thus provides a case study of the contribution of one German ethnologist to the wider history of the discipline, examining the intersection between the scientific endeavour and the colonial reality.