encounters visible between coloniser and colonised. Birthe Kundrs emphasises the
importance of studying interracial intimacy when considering transnational processes throughout imperialism and colonialism. 21 This sheds light on the complexities of
colonial power relations, highlighting the agency of individuals and communities in
navigating oppressive structures, and underscores the contested nature of race and
sexuality in shaping colonial encounters. In the colonies, engaging in sexual activity
had political implications as it determined which children would be considered in the settler society. 22 The categorisation of individuals as either ‘white’ or ‘native’ was
crucial for colonial control since it determined which children could be citizens rather
than subjects. Thus, examining the history of interracial relationships provides
valuable insights into the complex dynamics of sexuality, race, and power. It also
offers a fuller and more accurate account of the history of sexuality. Consequently,
the control of sexuality emerged as a vital tool in perpetuating the colonial power
structure and enforcing the boundaries of racial hierarchy that emerged.
The system of colonial sexual control was also intimately connected to the
emergence and perpetuation of biological racism. As colonial authorities constructed
racial categories and hierarchies that served to justify their domination over colonised peoples. The second half of the 19 th Century witnessed the birth of modern biological racism, where the concern to maintain and protect racial ‘purity’ became a growing priority. 23 Birthe Kundrus argues that all colonial powers at the turn of the 20 th Century shared ideals of sustaining white superiority as a means of justifying their domination over colonised peoples, and official state interventions such as laws, regulations aimed at promoting ‘racial purity’ played a crucial role in this ideal. 24
Concubinage proves an important example of this process, as some regions
employed concubinage as a way of enforcing control over native sexualities. Sexual
encounters could lead to the birth of children that would occupy an ambiguous social
status between the races. By institutionalising concubinage, colonisers reinforced
21 Birthe Kundrus, ‘Transgressing the Colour Line – Policing Colonial ‘Miscegenation’, in Gender History in a transnational perspective: biographies, networks, gender orders, ed. by Oliver Janz and Daniel Sch ö npflug (New York: Berghahn Books, 2014), 219 – 242, pp. 219. 22 Pamela Scully, ‘Rape, Race and Colonial Culture: The Sexual Politics of Identity in the Nineteenth - Century Cape Colony, South Africa’, 100.2 (1995), 335 -359, pp. 343.
23 Birthe Kundrus, pp. 219. 24 Birthe Kundrus, pp. 221.
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