This course explores the representation of history in German culture over the past 200 years. It looks at some of the most intriguing figures in German intellectual life such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx, major historical debates such as the Holocaust debate, and influential film productions such as Leni Riefenstahl’s Der Triumph des Willens. What exactly is ‘history’ and what are its driving forces? Why did Freud speak of the ‘unconscious’ and where can we find it in history? Is there a link between history and national identity? Why did Nietzsche call for a ‘superman’ and what did he mean by ‘master race’? Was he the first Nazi and are we his ‘last men’? These and other questions will be explored in order to explain how the enduring fascination with history came to play a central role in German intellectual life and popular culture.

This course aims to:

·         familiarise students with key thinkers, texts and debates in the field of German intellectual history from 1800 to the present

·         facilitate a critical understanding of the significance of diverse historical experiences and cultural identities for the study of German and European history

·         raise awareness about the plurality of perspectives on history by critically examining the advantages and shortcomings of different approaches

·         Show a detailed understanding of central aspects of German intellectual history in the 19^th and 20^th century.

·         Critically evaluate the development of German historical thought and assess its implications for contemporary German affairs.

·         Demonstrate a critical awareness of the plurality of perspectives on the history of German historical thought, including the advantages and shortcomings of different approaches.

·         Engage competently and critically in argument and discussion with regard to major historiographical debates which have dominated German intellectual history over the past thirty years.

·         Use appropriate registers when communicating knowledge and understanding of the course material.

The course is taught by means of lectures and seminars as appropriate (26-28 contact hours overall) and by feedback. Students are expected to prepare one seminar presentation and to contribute actively to discussions. Please bear in mind that learning is an active process, requiring not only the acquisition of knowledge but also the exchange of ideas, opinions and arguments with others. It is therefore essential that you do all the reading for the seminars: the essential preparatory reading will be provided on Learning Central. To facilitate your preparations, lectures will be complemented by relevant film screenings.

You will receive continuous feedback throughout the semester. There will be a revision session (exam preparation) in the final week of the semester and guidance on how to write a quality essay will be given throughout the semester. Please make use of my weekly office hours – they are reserved for you.

Personal transferable skills

·         Communicate ideas effectively and fluently, both orally and in writing

·         Use communications and information technologies for the retrieval and presentation of information

·         Work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management

·         Collaborate with others and contribute to the achievement of common goals

Generic intellectual skills

·         Gather, organize and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of sources

·         Develop a reasoned argument, synthesize relevant information and exercise critical judgement

·         Reflect on his or her own learning and make use of constructive feedback

·         Manage his or her own learning self-critically

The generic skills will be manifest in the following activities: literature searches on the internet and CD ROM, compilation of bibliographies for essays, and presentation of written work.

Lectures & Seminars

Topics:

Introduction: the German idea of history

They did not always think “historically”: the rise of modern historical thought in Germany

The national tradition of historical thought (I): 1800-1871

Leopold von Ranke: Ich will nur zeigen, wie es eigentlich gewesen…

Karl Marx: a materialist conception of history

The national tradition of historical thought (II): 1871-1945

What is identity? Historical consciousness and the formation of national identity

Sigmund Freud: Sex, the Unconscious, and the sordid underbelly of human civilisation

Warum ich so gute Bücher schreibe?Friedrich Nietzsche and the Will to Power

Historicism vs Historismus: Nothing but words?

Rassenkampfinstead of Klassenkampf? The Nazi idea of history

Walter Benjamin's Engel der Geschichte and the Frankfurt School

The national tradition of historical thought (III): 1945-1989

Vergangenheit, die nie vergeht? Confronting or denying the Holocaust

But where did Nazism come from? The Sonderweg-theory and its critics

The national tradition of historical thought (IV): 1989 to the present

‘Good bye Lenin’? East Germany and the doppelte Vergangenheitsbewältigung

'Hitler's Willing Executioners': the Goldhagen-debate 1996-7 and its historical implications

The meaning of ‘1989’: contemporary trends

The German idea of history in context

Recommended Text Books

·         Stefan Berger (2003), The Search for Normality: National Identity and Historical Consciousness in Germany since 1800, 2^nd edition, Oxford: Berghahn, pp. 307. [DD117.B3] The best single-volume account of our topic. This is a must-read for this course.

·         Stefan Berger, Heiko Feldner, Kevin Passmore, eds. (2010), Writing History: Theory and Practice, 2^nd edition, London: Bloomsbury, pp. 370. [D13.W7] Offers accessible overviews of a range of topics dealt with in this course. Ideal background reading for the essays.

·         Andrew Bowie (2010), German Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 137. [Electronic copy in library] Provides a lucid introduction to some of the more obstinate issues explored in this course and accompanies very well Berger’s The Search for Normality.

·         Georg G. Iggers (1983), The German Conception of History: The National Tradition of Historical Thought from Herder to the Present, 2^nd revised edition, Hanover/NH: Wesleyan University Press, pp. 388. Extremely illuminating classical account of the topic.

Topic specific seminar reading with guiding questions will be provided on Learning Central. Here is an indicative example:

Seminar 5: Sigmund Freud – History and Psychoanalysis

Opening Questions:

1) Who was Sigmund Freud (life and works)?

2) What are the characteristic features of his notion of history?

3) How does he interpret the history of human civilization?

4) What, according to Freud, are the “discontents” of human civilization?

5) Do you find Freud’s understanding of the history of human civilization convincing?

Reading:

Read text no. 1 first. It gives you a very concise overview of the key ideas of Freud’s essay “Civilization and its Discontents”. It also includes a glossary which explains key concepts of Freud’s work.

1.      Berry, Ruth , ‘Freud and Society: Civilization’ and ‘Glossary’, in idem, Freud: A Beginner’s Guide (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2000), pp. 65-75 and 83-86. [Learning Central]

2.      Freud, Sigmund, ‘Civilization and Its Discontents’, in The Freud Reader, ed. by Peter Gay (London: Vintage, 2005), pp. 722-742. [Learning Central]

3.      Strachey, James, ‘Sigmund Freud: A Sketch of his Life and Ideas’, in Freud, Sigmund, Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, vol. 1, ed. by James Strachey and Angela Richards (London: Penguin, 2001), pp. 11-24. [Learning Central]

Recommended further reading:

If you write an essay on Freud, you might find this a useful starting point for your research:

q  Freud, Sigmund, Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, vol. 1, ed. by James Strachey and Angela Richards (London: Penguin, 2001), pp. 39-49. [Learning Central] Short text explaining the basic principles of psychoanalysis from Sigmund Freud’s point of view. Written for the general reader – very accessible.

q  Walker, Garthine, 'Psychoanalysis and History', in Stefan Berger, Heiko Feldner, Kevin Passmore (eds), Writing History: Theory and Practice, 2^nd revised ed. (London: Bloomsbury, 2010), pp. 141-61. [D13.W7] An up-to-date overview of the relationship between history and psychoanalysis, with detailed examples of how Freud’s insights have been applied in historical writing. Written specifically for undergraduate students taking courses like this one.

q  Storr, Anthony, Freud: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, OUP, 2007). [WM452 STO] A concise and authoritative overview of various aspects of Freud’s work. Ideal background reading for the essay.

q  Gay, Peter, Freud for Historians (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985). [D16.16.G2] An extremely instructive classical account of the topic.

Recommended further reading

A detailed bibliography for each topic will be provided on Learning Central.