Description
Book SynopsisExamines the historiography of art and architecture in the German-speaking context in the first half of the twentieth century, with a focus on the tensions between individualism and collectivism. Centers on key art-historical figures, including Erwin Panofsky, Ernst Gombrich, and Hans Sedlmayr.
Trade Review“Rage and Denials makes a highly innovative contribution to the debate over holism versus individualism. Focusing on German historiography from 1890 to 1947, it documents the outrageous and bizarre claims made in the name of collectivism by highly respected—and respectable—scholars of the period. By examining the logic and pathology of historical explanation, it has deep implications for the practice of history and the social sciences today. It should be on every intelligent academic’s reading list.”
—Richard Woodfield,editor of the Journal of Art Historiography
“Rage and Denials combines an exhaustive historical survey with philosophical acumen to provide an impassioned statement about the ethics of historiography.”
—Ian Verstegen,University of Pennsylvania
Table of ContentsContents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Arguments
1 Romantic Afflictions
2 Geist Versus Vernunft
3 Art and Venom
4 Liberal Humanist Rejoinder
5 Renarrativizations
6 Reverberations
Conclusion: Hubris and Method
Appendix: The Individualism-Collectivism Debate in Historical Materialism and Sociology
Notes
Bibliography
Index
