German Intellectual History from Hegel to Weber

This Option offers an introduction to the breadth and complexity of German thought from the era of the French Revolution and Napoleon until the end of the First World War. Students develop their understanding of great authors such as Hegel, Nietzsche, and Weber who wrote during the long nineteenth century. As well as enabling its takers to explore this second Renaissance, the course also raises questions both about the scope of intellectual history as a field, and German history as a category. Besides ‘canonical’ voices, students have a chance to discover less familiar but historically important figures whose influence did not, to the same extent, outlive the culture they addressed. Whilst the Option engages centrally with the history of political thought, it also ranges beyond it, to encompass debates about aesthetics, history, religion, gender, and social science. The course focuses on the north-German writers traditionally placed at the centre of German intellectual history. But it also invites students to historicise regional differences in Germanophone culture, by enfranchising Swiss and Austrian experiences. Across the six classes, students are moreover encouraged to pursue a culturally-grounded type of intellectual history which anchors authors in their social, political, and confessional contexts. As such, the course is designed to appeal not solely to graduates focusing on intellectual history, but also to students with interests in other fields. No knowledge of German is required. Almost all of the set and additional texts are accessible online through SOLO, and many are available in modern critical editions.