CfA: “Handbook Ideologies in National Socialism”

English-language historiographical study of National Socialism has concentrated overwhelmingly on the political, economic, and military aspects of this enormously rich topic. Yet, comparatively little scholarly attention has been paid to the ideological aspects of Nazism, particularly the extent to which ideology informed the actions of individuals and institutions throughout the Third Reich. Recent research and debates have deepened our understanding of the goals of – and inconsistencies within – Nazi ideology; however, the picture remains unclear both in detail and overall structure.

We therefore believe the time is ripe for a major scholarly reference publication devoted to this hugely important, and equally complex,historical topic – one that will provide a unique repository for scholarship and also encourage future collaboration.

The publication will comprise a series of volumes covering Nazi ideology in its various manifestations and in different contexts, including the military, the family, the humanities and natural sciences, medicine, racial science, religion and theology, the law, language, popular and elite culture, to name but a few.

In addition, the volumes are supported by a series of conferences and workshops that help shape the published texts by encouraging collaborative research and dialogue between contributors , who are among of the most distinguished experts in this field.

In this project, we see ideology as a referential framework that guides the actions of institutions and actors to varying degrees and in different ways. It is a systematically interconnected structure of ideas with specific political, social and epistemic relevance, bearing influence both upon the general cognitive and psychological orientation of individuals and groups within society, as well as upon society itself. Ideology, in other words, can serve as a lens through which individuals, groups and the state see the world and endow it with experiential meaning and relevance.

It is our conviction that if we fail to understand both the Nazi worldview and how it shaped behaviours in the Third Reich, we will never truly comprehend the relationship between ideas and actions – actions which, in this case, amounted to the perpetration of extreme atrocities at an unprecedented scale.