Dagmar Herzog Books

Since the defeat of the Nazi Third Reich and the end of its horrific eugenics policies, battles over the politics of life, sex, and death have continued and evolved. Dagmar Herzog documents how reproductive rights and disability rights, both latecomers to the postwar human rights canon, came to be seen as competing―with unexpected consequences.Bringing together the latest findings in Holocaust studies, the history of religion, and the history of sexuality in postwar―and now also postcommunist―Europe, Unlearning Eugenics shows how central the controversies over sexuality, reproduction, and disability have been to broader processes of secularization and religious renewal. Herzog also restores to the historical record a revelatory array of from Catholic and Protestant theologians who defended abortion rights in the 1960s–70s to historians in the 1980s–90s who uncovered the long-suppressed connections between the mass murder of the disabled and the Holocaust of European Jewry; from feminists involved in the militant "cripple movement" of the 1980s to lawyers working for right-wing NGOs in the 2000s; and from a handful of pioneers in the 1940s–60s committed to living in intentional community with individuals with cognitive disability to present-day disability self-advocates.

Sexualitätsgeschichte als Gesellschaftsgeschichte. Was hat Sexualpolitik mit Vergangenheitsbewältigung zu tun? Welche anderen politischen Positionen werden in gesellschaftlichen Debatten über Sexualität mitverhandelt, und was kann die Sexualgeschichtsschreibung zum besseren Verständnis der europäischen Zeitgeschichte beitragen? An der Schnittstelle von Geistes- und Kulturgeschichte, Holocaustforschung, Religions- und Geschlechtergeschichte zeigt Dagmar Herzog, wie Diskussionen über Sexualität die prägenden ideologischen Kämpfe des 20. und beginnenden 21. Jahrhunderts beeinflussten. Mit einem genauen Sensorium für die methodischen Herausforderungen einer Geschichtsschreibung von Intimität und Körperlichkeit untersucht die amerikanische Historikerin politische und gesellschaftliche Konflikte um Fragen nach dem Stellenwert von Sexualität, sexueller Orientierung und dem Verhältnis von Reproduktionsrechten und Behinderung. In einem abschließenden Gespräch reflektiert Dagmar Herzog ihre bi-kulturelle Sozialisation in den Vereinigten Staaten und der Bundesrepublik der sechziger und siebziger Jahre, die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Gegenwartspolitik und Geschichtsschreibung und die umstrittene Frage nach den »Lehren aus der Vergangenheit«.

The book explores the intense ideological struggle in the Grand Duchy of Baden during the years leading to the 1848 revolutions, focusing on the interplay between liberalism, conservatism, and Christianity. It highlights how Christianity's complex ties to Judaism and sexuality influenced political discourse and shaped radical, conservative, and liberal ideologies. By examining the "politics of the personal," particularly regarding sex and marriage, the author reveals their significant impact on broader issues such as church-state relations and Jewish civic rights.

Dagmar Herzog uncovers the astonishing array of concepts of human selfhood which circulated across the globe in the aftermath of World War II. She reveals how competing theories of desire, anxiety, aggression, guilt, trauma and pleasure were mobilized in a fundamental rethinking of the very nature of the human psyche.

What is the relationship between sexual and other forms of politics? This question is particularly urgent in the context of Nazi Germany. The exploration of Nazism's sexual politics raises critical inquiries: Were these politics uniformly repressive, or did they grant sexual freedoms to certain groups while persecuting others? How have postwar interpretations of these politics evolved, especially given the assertion by scholars since the 1960s that the Third Reich was "sex-hostile"? Addressing these questions, the work fundamentally reconsiders key aspects of twentieth-century German history. It reshapes our understanding of the Nazi regime's popular appeal, antisemitism, the influence of Christianity on postfascist conservatism, and the countercultural movements of the 1960s-1970s, as well as the dynamics between government and citizens in East Germany. By reinterpreting the Third Reich's sexual politics and examining the revisions of Germany's history following communism's collapse, the work reveals the complex interconnections between capitalism and communism, pleasure and state policies, and religious and secular trends. It also delves into sexual attitudes and practices, addressing issues like contraception, pornography, and sexual orientation theories, highlighting how sexuality became a crucial site for managing the memory of Nazism and the Holocaust.

Exploring the dynamic and often controversial history of sexual attitudes and behaviors in Europe, this book delves into the societal changes and cultural shifts that defined the 20th century. It examines the impact of key events, movements, and figures, revealing how they influenced sexual norms and freedoms. Through a blend of historical analysis and engaging narratives, readers gain insight into the complexities of sexuality during a transformative era in European history.