RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Poschet, LaurentYR 2010 T1 Oriëntaties in Midden-Afrika - Beeldvorming van ‘Arabieren’ in equatoriaal Afrika door Europese explorateurs en Leopold II, circa 1880-1900 JF Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, VO 123 IS 3 SP 370 OP 383 DO https://doi.org/10.5117/TVGESCH2010.3.POSC PB Amsterdam University Press, SN 2352-1163, AB In the second half of the nineteenth century an amalgam of European and American adventurers travel towards the unknown centre of Africa. Confrontations with powerful Arab traders in equatorial Africa discharge into a bloody colonial war: king Leopolds ‘Arab Campaigns’. This article attempts to spread a new light on the Arab question, by examining, from a cultural point of view, Western perceptions and representations of the Arabs and their practices in the Central African context. How do European expeditions deal with Arabs? By which standards do Europeans evaluate the Arab grade of civilization? What images and explorational activities or mentalities lead towards the war? Throughout the article, the goal is to reveal how different cultures of exploration interact with Arab presences., UL https://www.aup-online.com/content/journals/10.5117/TVGESCH2010.3.POSC