Crusoe’s crusade: Marginalia to the war against the devil in Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe

ABSTRACT Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is a darkly ingenious bestseller. The eponymous hero of the book, in his very name, indexes not only the pursuit of profit (”Kreutzer”), but also hegemonic cultural pretensions (“cross”), and oppressive claims to power (“cruiser”). The three volumes of the novel clandestinely promote European colonialism, Christian ascendancy, and white supremacy. Their message, a cover for slavery and genocide under the veil of a supposed civilizing mission, has the result of calling for a new Holy War (“crusade”). Against this backdrop, the political economy of the “Robinsonade” turns out to be anything but the solitary business of a stranded castaway. Instead, it manifests as the exploratory and exploitative world tour of an imperial strategist. Authenticated by the encrypted scheme in the naming of its hero, the “Robinsonade” is also the foundation of a “Crus(oe)-ade”, a prelude to colonization as well as global dominance.