Min tid i Alger : mellan makt och tillit i Algers diplomatiska rum under Henric Gottfrid Brandels konsulstillträde 1765–1768

Sammanfattning: "My memories from Algiers - Between power and trust in Algiers' diplomatic spaces during Henric Gottfrid Brandel's accession to the consular office 1765-1768." In 1764, Henric Gottfrid Brandel was appointed consular secretary to the Swedish consul in Algiers. He would remain as secretary until late 1765 and early 1766, when he was appointed as temporary consul by the then current consul Eric Skjöldebrand, who left Algiers shortly after Brandels appointment. Skjöldebrands departure and the replacement of the Swedish consul coincided with the death of the Dey of Algiers, and the succession of Muhammad V Pascha to the throne. Because of these two profound changes, the years of 1765–1768 represents a critical phase in the diplomacy between Algiers and Sweden. The purpose of this thesis is to explore a Swedish consular change in the port city of Algiers during the critical phase when Sweden exchanged consul and Algiers received a new Dey, and to widen the understanding of the diplomatic spaces in Algiers to show that power, trust, and knowledge was space specific. To this end, the thesis seeks to analyse different diplomatic spaces in Algiers and the negotiations and interactions that took place within them. The following diplomatic spaces will be analysed, and their differences and similarities explored: The palace of the Dey, the consular house, the harbour, and the interspatial areas between these diplomatic spaces. To research these topics, a qualitative text analysis is conducted on the private journals and diaries of Henric Gottfrid Brandel, together with the theoretical frameworks of Contact Zones by Mary Louise Pratt, intercultural diplomacy by Christian Windler, and Joachim Östlunds research on Trust and Knowledge in diplomatic interactions. The research comes to several conclusions. A shift of consuls that coincided with a deylik succession was difficult and complex, and the negotiations lasted years. From the point of view of the journals, Brandels official appointment from the Swedish government seemed unimportant, instead the focus of the Dey was almost entirely placed on the gifts. The role of the ministers around the Dey during the shift can also not be understated. Brandel was introduced to several Algerian government official’s days before he was introduced to the Dey himself. The combination of theoretical frameworks exposed the contrasts between the diplomatic spaces and the changes that occurred within them during the period. In the palace of the Dey, the interactions between the Dey and consuls highlighted the differences in the power hierarchy. The Dey made threats, demanded tributes, and made the consuls kiss his hand and partake in court ceremonies. The consuls on their end mostly resorted to answering these requests and to bribe different government officials. While describing the negotiations, Brandel emphasized his good relations with the Dey. In the consular houses, the consuls socialized, partied, and observed each other. In this space, a chain of interactions where information was shared could be observed between consuls and Algerian officials who met for private talks and dinner. However, after Skjöldebrand departed Algiers, government ministers stopped partying and dining in the Swedish consular houses, and only two visits were observed during the period. The harbour continued to be an important diplomatic space during the entire period. Brandel was introduced as temporary consul to officials in the harbour before he was introduced to the Dey. In the interspatial areas, a similar development like that of the consular house was observed. While Skjöldebrand and his family spent time on the beach with the brother of the Dey and his family, no such interaction between Brandel and Algerian officials was observed in this space. However, Brandel still socialized and met in private with consuls of other nations in this diplomatic space.