Between Occultism and Nazism: Anthroposophy and the Politics of Race in the Fascist Era

by Peter Staudenmaier

Overview

The relationship between Nazism and occultism has been an object of fascination and speculation for decades. Peter Staudenmaier’s Between Occultism and Nazism provides a detailed historical examination centered on the anthroposophist movement founded by Rudolf Steiner. Its surprising findings reveal a remarkable level of Nazi support for Waldorf schools, biodynamic farming, and other anthroposophist initiatives, even as Nazi officials attempted to suppress occult tendencies. The book also includes an analysis of anthroposophist involvement in the racial policies of Fascist Italy. Based on extensive archival research, this study offers rich material on controversial questions about the nature of esoteric spirituality and alternative cultural ideals and their political resonance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789004264076
Publisher:	Brill Academic Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/15/2013
Series:	Aries Book Series , #17
Edition description:	Approx. 430 pp.
Pages:	427
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Peter Staudenmaier, Ph.D. (Cornell University, 2010), is Assistant Professor of History at Marquette University. He has published widely on Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the history of occult thought.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Introduction: Spiritual Science and the Modern Occult Revival 1

1 Germany's Savior: Rudolf Steiner on Race and Redemption 25

2 The Politics of the Unpolitical: German Anthroposophy in Theory and Practice Before 1933 64

3 Accommodation, Collaboration, Persecution: Anthroposophy in the Shadow of National Socialism, 1933-1945 101

4 The German Essence Shall Heal the World: Ideological Affinities between Anthroposophy and Nazism 146

5 Education for the National Community? Waldorf Schools in the Third Reich 179

6 The Nazi Campaign against Occultism 214

7 The Spirit of the Race and the Soul of the Nation: Anthroposophy and the Rise of Fascism in Italy 248

8 Spiritual Racism in Power: Italian Anthroposophists and the Fascist Racial Laws, 1938-1945 284

Conclusion: Occultism and Nazism in Historical Perspective 319

Sources and Bibliography 328

Index 407

Editorial Reviews

"With his case study of German and Italian Anthroposophy, Peter Staudenmaier presents the arguably most nuanced and best-grounded contribution to this debate in many years. On the basis of an impressive amount of source material and scholarship, Staudenmaier manages to avoid both apologetic and polemical simplifications."
Julian Strube, Heidelberg University, Aries – Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism, Volume 17 (2017)

"For anybody interested in the intersection between religion, race, and politics, this book is a goldmine of information."
Olav Hammer, University of Southern Denmark, Numen, Vol.63, No.1

"Staudenmaier’s Between Occultism and Nazism is a splendid, well-argued and meticulous contribution to the study of one of the most important of the new religious movements of modern Europe."
Stefan Arvidsson, Correspondences, 2.2

"An important book for those seeking to understand the role of Western esotericism in the Third Reich."
D. Harms, State University of New York College at Cortland, CHOICE, December 2014

From the Publisher