Nachfragen zur Drogen und Rauschgeschichte: ein Interview mit Jakob Tanner
Common Library Network (Der Gemeinsame Bibliotheksverbund) April 28, 2020 Kristoff Kerl, Florian Schleking
Jakob Tanner, a pioneer in German-language body and drug history, discusses how the concept of 'Rausch' (ecstasy, trance, intoxication) can enrich the historiographical study of modern societies. In this interview, he examines theoretical and methodological approaches in drug history, emphasizing that the meanings of ecstatic states have shifted across historical contexts. Tanner highlights the interplay between language and ecstatic experience, critiques classical narratives, and points to new analytical tools. He repeatedly stresses how different historical actors ascribed changing meanings to states of intoxication, and he draws attention to the interrelationships among notions of 'Rausch', drug politics, and social power structures.