eBook - ePub

A Demon-Haunted Land

Name: A Demon-Haunted Land
ISBN: 9781250225665

Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany

Monica Black,

334 pages
English
ePUB (mobile friendly)
Available on iOS & Android

eBook - ePub

A Demon-Haunted Land

Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany

Monica Black,

About this book

This account of German citizens swept up in a wave of supernatural obsessions after WWII and the Holocaust is "an engrossing story from beginning to end" ( Booklist).
In the aftermath of World War II in Germany, a messianic faith healer rose to extraordinary fame, prayer groups performed exorcisms, and enormous crowds traveled to witness apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Most strikingly, scores of people accused their neighbors of witchcraft, and found themselves in turn hauled into court on charges of defamation, assault, and even murder. What linked these events, in the wake of an annihilationist war and the Holocaust, was a widespread preoccupation with evil.
While many histories emphasize Germany's rapid transition from genocidal dictatorship to liberal democracy, A Demon-Haunted Land places in full view the toxic mistrust, profound bitterness, and spiritual malaise that unfolded alongside the economic miracle. Drawing on previously unpublished archival materials, acclaimed historian Monica Black argues that the surge of supernatural obsessions stemmed from the unspoken guilt and shame of a nation remarkably silent about what was euphemistically called "the most recent past." This shadow history irrevocably changes our view of postwar Germany, revealing the country's fraught emotional life and deep moral disquiet, and the cost of trying to bury a horrific legacy.
"How do societies that commit monstrous atrocities recover from them? . . . Chock-full of colorful anecdotes and charismatic figures, A Demon-Haunted Land not only offers a brilliant rethinking of postwar German history, but also asks us to see the irrational as an integral part of modernity." — Boston Review
"Absorbing, gripping, and utterly fascinating . . . Beautifully written, without even a hint of jargon or pretension." —Richard J. Evans, The New Republic
"Vivid character sketches and keen psychological insights enrich impressive historical research." — Publishers Weekly
"Readers interested in German and Cold War history and cultural studies of religious and supernatural beliefs will find much to enjoy." — Library Journal

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.

At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.

Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete

Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.

Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.

We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.

Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.

Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.

Yes, you can access A Demon-Haunted Land by Monica Black in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & German History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.