The Politics of Repressed Guilt: The Tragedy of Austrian Silence

Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt and Theodor W. Adorno, this book illustrates the relevance and applicability of a political discussion of guilt and democracy. It appropriates psychoanalytic theory to analyse court documents of Austrian Nazi perpetrators as well as recent public controversies surrounding Austria's involvement in the Nazi atrocities and ponders how the former agents of Hitlerite crimes and contemporary Austrians have dealt with their guilt.
Exposing the defensive mechanisms that have been used to evade facing involvement in Nazi atrocities, Leeb considers the possibilities of breaking the cycle of negative consequences that result from the inability to deal with guilt. Leeb shows us that only by guilt can individuals and nations take responsibility for their past crimes, show solidarity with the victims of crimes, and prevent the emergence of new crimes.

Author: Claudia Leeb
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Published: 08/07/2019
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781474452182

About the Author
Claudia Leeb is Assistant Professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs at Washington State University.