Nachfragen zur Drogen und Rauschgeschichte: ein Interview mit Jakob Tanner

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Jakob Tanner is one of the pioneers of body and drug history in German-speaking historiography. For decades he has been one of the most important protagonists of an analytical framework that combines social history with the history of knowledge and historical-anthropological approaches. In this interview, Tanner reflects upon the topic of this issue of Body Politics and explains how the concept ‚Rausch‘ can enrich and contribute to the historiographical examination of modern societies. Additionally, he discusses different theoretical and methodical approaches that are used in studies on the history of drugs and ‚Rausch‘. In this context, he also points to ideas and problems, which are currently debated in this field of historical studies. In addition to statements on the relation between language and ecstatic experiences, Tanner comments on classical narratives and new analytical tools. In the course of the interview, he repeatedly emphasizes the changing meanings, which different historical actors ascribed t states of ecstasy, trance, and intoxication. He draws attention to the interrelationships that shaped the perception of concepts and practices of drug use in specific historical constellations and contexts. Once more, Tanners statements direct the focus on the entanglement of notions of ‚Rausch‘, drug politics, and social power structures.