“The good wanderer leaves neither footprints nor traces”: On Georg Simmel ́s “Individualismens Former” published during WWI

Authors

  • Peter Dahler-Larsen

Abstract

In January 1917, an article by Georg Simmel, “Individualismens Former”, appeared in the Danish journal Spectator. Citing an editorial note herein, Simmel researchers have trusted that Simmel wrote the text in Danish and authorized the article (Rammstedt et al, 2015: 690; Christensen et al (eds.): 2019).

On the contrary, we use archives, memoires and historical research to show that the editorial note in fact concealed the true provenance of Simmel ́s text. The German propaganda machine during World War 1 secretly financed the journal Spectator. The editor therefore had a motivation to alter a crucial passage in the text.

References

Düring Jørgensen, J. (1982-83). Tyske forsøg på krigspropaganda i Danmark under Den Første Verdenskrig. [German attempts of war propaganda in Denmark during World War 1.] Fund og Forskning, 26, 125-152. https://tidsskrift.dk/fundogforskning

/article/view/40907/46413

Düring Jørgensen, J. (2007). "Der Gentlemanerpresser" - eller spindoktor i utide. [The Gentleman blackmailer - or spin doctor out of time.] In J. T. Lauridsen (Ed.), Over Stregen [Over the limit]. (pp. 451-502). Copenhagen: Gyldendal

Düring Jørgensen, J. (2013). Den smilende kamæleon. [The smiling chameleon]. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanums Forlag.

Fitzi, G. (2018). Nationalism or Europeanism? Simmel’s Dilemma. Simmel Studies 22(2), 125-148.

Goodstein, E. (2017). Georg Simmel and Disciplinary Imaginary. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Müller, H.-P. (2018). Individualisierung, Individualismus und Individualität. In H.-P. Müller & T. Reitz (Eds.), Simmel-Handbuch (pp. 296-303). Berlin Suhrkamp.

Portioli, C. (2018). War, Culture and Lebensreform. Germany’s way to itself? A few considerations on Simmel’s war writings. Simmel Studies, 22(2), 99-124.

Rammstedt, O. (2019). Forord. In S. Christensen, N. G. Hansen, S. Langkjær, M. Hauberg-Lund Laugesen, & J. S. Wiewiura (Eds.), Simmel - sociologiens eventyrer (pp. 7-8). København: Nyt fra Samfundsvidenskaberne.

Rammstedt, O., & Rammstedt, A. (Eds.). (2008). Georg Simmel Gesamtausgabe Band 23 (GSG 23). Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp

Rammstedt, O., Rammstedt, A., & Schullerus, E. (Eds.). (2015). Georg Simmel Gesamtausgabe Band 24 (GSG 24). Berlin Suhrkamp

Rigsarkivet. [The Danish National Archives]. Affotograferinger fra Auswärtiges Amt. [Photo copies from Auswärtiges Amt.] Box 101.

Rigsarkivet. [The Danish National Archives]. Affotograferinger fra Auswärtiges Amt. [Photo copies from Auswärtiges Amt.] Box 187.

Simmel, G. (1914). Deutschlands innere Wandlung. In Fitzi, G. and Rammstedt, O. (Eds.), Georg Simmel Gesamtausgabe Band 16 (GSG 16) (pp. 13-29).

Simmel, G. (1917). Individualismens former.[The Forms of Individualism]. Spectator. Ugeskrift for Politik og Kultur 14-15(2), 285-296.

Simmel, G. (1957). Brücke und Tür. Essays des Philosophen zur Geschichte, Religion, Kunst und Gesellschaft. In Verein mit Margarethe Susman herausgegeben von Michael Landmann. Stuttgart: K F Koehler Verlag.

Simmel, G. (1995) [1903]. Die Großstädte und das Geistesleben. [The Metropolis and mental life]. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.

Simmel, G. (2004). Der Individualismus der modernen Zeit. In T. Karlsruhen & O. Rammstedt (Eds.), Georg Simmel Gesamtausgabe. Band 20. Posthume Veröffentlichungen. Ungedrucktes Schulpädagogik, (pp. 249-258). Berlin: Suhrkamp.

Von Kohl, L. (no date). Manuskript til erindringer fra ungdomsårene med titlen "Oh, du nar." [Manuscript, memories from the youth with the title "Oh, you fool." Det Kongelige Bibliotek. Klausuleret.The Royal Danish Library. Restricted access.

Watier, P. (1991). The War Writings of Georg Simmel. Theory, Culture & Society, 8, 219-233.

Downloads

Published

2023-11-18

Issue

Section

Articles