Ernst Junger

It is a profound interpretation of Ernst Junger, offering a compelling analysis of this leading literary figure who over the years has been misinterpreted by scholars, literary critics, and journalists.

The history of modern Germany has all too readily been seen in terms of a historical process that inevitably led to the horrors of National Socialism. As there are no certitudes in life, however, so there are none in German history. In this book, historian Klemens von Klemperer focuses on what he terms "the German incertitudes"--namely, the tensions between a realistic acceptance of disenchantment with the modern world, and an insistence upon reenchantment. Exploring this tension through a critical assessment of the ideas and writings of major German thinkers, von Klemperer seeks to account for both the achievements and the failings of German thought, society, and politics as responses to the challenge of modernity in the first half of the 20th century.

The past fifteen years have witnessed the renewed presence of fascism in European political and cultural life. In addition, there have been scandals surrounding the fascist pasts of numerous renowned intellectuals, including Martin Heidegger, Paul de Man, and Maurice Blanchot.

In Fascism's Return, eleven leading American and European scholars examine the resurgence of fascism from many angles, providing an essential and timely view of this troubling moment in European political, cultural, and intellectual history. Intellectual and public scandals surrounding the fascist past -- including the highly publicized Barbie and Touvier trials in France -- are addressed. Other writers focus on controversial efforts to revise the historical representation of fascism in Germany and France. The reemergence of the "new" fascist movements and ideologies in various European nations is also examined. A final essay considers the controversial U.S. support during the 1980s of Central American dictatorships.

Aseditor Richard J. Golsan notes, the essays in this volume "illustrate a multitude of ways in which fascism continues to make its presence felt in western democratic societies, erupting with disturbing frequency as a 'return of the repressed' in judicial and artistic scandals as well as in historical, critical, and political debates".

"Lethen brilliantly interprets New Objectivity as a tactical response to the need for a 'code of conduct' in an age of anxiety about values and normative judgments. Moving effortlessly between analysis of philosophical texts and literary works, he charts an increasingly popular field of cultural studies: how cultural discourses shape behavior. One of the most original and daring contributions to Weimar scholarship and to the study of modernity in general in a decade."--Anton Kaes, University of California, Berkeley

"Lethen is probably the most original and outstanding scholar writing in German today about Weimar literature and culture. He traces the figure of the 'cold persona' as part of a broader discourse of anthropological, ethical, and aesthetic dimensions. The book is written in a personal voice, witty, lucid, and unpretentious."--Miriam Hansen, University of Chicago

War & the Illiberal Conscience focuses on two central themes. The first (& larger) section studies the revolt against liberalism: the challenge of German philosophical ideas between 1890 & 1945, namely antipositivism, which ended with the postwar occupation of Germany by the Allies, & the challenge of Marxism, an illiberal version of positivism that also ended in defeat-the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In the latter part of the study, the argument is extended to look at the end of the story, at the extent to which, in triumphing over its enemies, the liberal world-although still convinced of the truth of its own principles-no longer seems enthusiastic about acting on those principles. The liberal conscience no longer spurs it to action. In our postmodern world, the author argues, it makes cowards of us all.

In this thought-provoking book, Ali Mirsepassi explores the concept of modernity and exposes the Eurocentric prejudices underlying its development. He provides a new interpretation of Islamic Fundamentalism through a detailed analysis of the ideas of key Islamic intellectuals and argues that the Iranian Revolution was not a simple clash between modernity and tradition but an attempt to accommodate modernity within a sense of authentic Islamic identity and culture. He concludes by assessing the future of secularism and democracy in the Middle East in general, and in Iran in particular.