The banality of narrative hannah arendts eichmann in. Blog entry, hannah arendt center for politics and the humanities november 7, 2011. When hannah arendt published her first article about adolf eichmanns war crimes trial in the new yorker in its february 16, 1963 issue, she was already a wellknown political philosopher with a successful career and several books to her name. Hannah arendt the trouble with eichmann was precisely that so many were like him the trouble with eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were, and still are, terribly and terrifyingly normal. Arendt lecture series harvard government political. Hannah arendts famous argument ineichmann in jerusalemwas that eichmann was not a demon on a mission from hell, but a crass, ludicrous, pathetic individual. The team of the critical edition consists of international experts on hannah arendts work from various disciplines and of experts in the field of digital humanities. One of the preeminent political thinkers of the 20th century, arendt, who died in 1975 at the age of 69, was a jew arrested by the german. The hannah arendt research group at vanderbilt university. An exchange of letters between gershom sholem and hannah arendt, encounter 22 january 1964.
The critical complete works of hannah arendts writings will be presented in seventeen thematically organized parts. In eichmann in jerusalem and after, it was kant, not heidegger, who was foremost on hannah arendts mind. Hannah arendt and the paradoxes of the nationstate christian volk. She is also the author of eichmann in jerusalem, on revolution, and between past and future all available from penguin twentiethcentury classics. A report on the banality of evil contains an introduction by amos elon in penguin classics.
Condition, and eichmann in jerusalem, as well as for her various collections of essays. Hannah arendts five articles on the 1961 trial of adolf eichmann by the state of israel appeared in the new yorker in february and march 1963. Patchen markell has an excellent article, anonymous glory, in the latest issue. The controversial 20thcentury philosopher hannah arendt is the subject of a series of uw events in late october, all organized in conjunction with the oct. Out of all her works, it is also the most misunderstood and caricatured. In this lucid, accessible biography, anne heller shows how arendts eventful lifeshaped by war and exile, love and friendshipgave rise to her most important insights into politics and the nature of evil. Arendt on the logic and legacy of imperialism karuna mantena6. Nothing placed arendt in the storm center of public opinion more than her essays about the trial first published in february and march 1963 in the new yorker, which ultimately became eichmann in jerusalem. The hannah arendt research group at vanderbilt university hannah arendt 19061975 is one of the major political thinkers of the twentieth century. Just received this in an email and thought i should pass on this thoughtful and positive reflection on how to respond to antisemiticism. Benjamin wurgaft mit, hannah arendt and the problem of.
Arendt on the foundations of equality jeremy waldron3. Hannah arendt on civil disobedience and constitutional patriotism verity smith promising and civil disobedience. Hannah arendt in germany todaybetween contested philosopher and public icon. Professor of criminology and criminal justice, and fellow of the center for advancement of human rights, florida state university. Patchen markell chicago, hannah arendt and the laboring body. The controversial journalistic analysis of the mentality that fostered the holocaust, from the author of the origins of totalitarianism sparking a flurry of heated debate, hannah arendts authoritative and stunning report on the trial of german nazi leader adolf eichmann first appeared as a series of articles in the new yorker in 1963. Hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem is by far her most famous and most controversial book. A report on the banality of evil the year eichmann was published, the antidefamation league sent out a circular to rabbis to preach against her on rosh hashanah. Hannah arendt on civil disobedience and constitutional patriotism verity smith promising and. In a brilliant articlearendt, aesthetics, and the crisis in culturethat totally changed how i see some of arendts work, university of chicago political theorist patchen markell shows that the kantian presence in arendts thought, particularly regarding these issues of judgment and enlarged mentality, well predates her. Hannah arendt edition department of german, russian and east. Benhabibs lecture will address hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem.
In the process, he questions the widely held view that arendts eichmann was essentially a bureaucrat who was. So what happens when we remove any mention of the jews from hannah arendts final statement in eichmann in jerusalem. Yale professor seyla benhabib responded in a new york times piece, others blogged, and wolin responded in an essay on our website. A report on the banality of evil is a 1963 book by political theorist hannah arendt.
Much of the reaction to the book hinges on how these new findings reflect on hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem, her 1963 work based on her witnessing of eichmanns trial, which famously depicted him as the embodiment. Hannah arendt in germany today cairn international. Hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem appears in the. She is wellknown for her books the origins of totalitarianism, the human condition, and eichmann in jerusalem, as well as for her various collections of essays. Vanderbilt university, patchen markell political science, cornell university, thomas.
This revised edition includes material that came to. Born in germany in 1906, arendt studied theology and philosophy at the university of marburg, where martin heidegger was on the faculty, and at the. The movie hannah arendt, which opened in new york in may, has unleashed emotional commentary that mirrors the fierce debate arendt herself ignited over half a century ago, when she covered the trial of the notorious war criminal adolf eichmann. In 1933, she was briefly imprisoned by the gestapo, after which she fled germany for paris, where she worked on behalf of jewish refugee children. Hannah arendts political theory is often understood to rest on a celebration of action, the memorable words and deeds of named individuals, over against the anonymous processes constitutive of. Why do hannah arendts ideas about evil and the holocaust. The banality of narrative hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem published in textual practice, 20 according to a thesis with supporters in a wide range of disciplines philosophy, psychology, theology, literary studies and others narrative is crucial to human selfunderstanding and selfrepresentation. This order shows the constellation and branching of arendts thought across the complete works. Sparking a flurry of heated debate, hannah arendts authoritative and stunning report on the trial of german nazi ss leader adolf eichmann first appeared as a series of articles in the new yorker in 1963. Hannah arendt edition department of german, russian. Patchen markell born august 30, 1969 is an associate professor of political science at cornell university. Hannah arendt and center for european studies at harvard. Hannah arendt was born in hanover, germany, in 1906, and received her doctorate in philosophy from the university of heidelberg. In his lecture, villa looks at some recent critiques of the book, contrasting them with what arendt actually wrote.
Arendt saw eichmann, on trial for his life, as a buffoon whose inability to speak was closely connected with an inability to think, namely, to think from the standpoint of somebody else. A revised and enlarged edition was published in 1964. The house of justice beth hamishpath the house of justice. Misreading eichmann in jerusalem the new york times. Conference at yale honors hannah arendt at 100 yalenews.
F ifty years ago the writer and philosopher hannah arendt witnessed the end of the trial of adolf eichmann, one of the major figures in the organisation of the holocaust. The eichmann trial and the legacy of jurisdiction leora bilsky. Hannah arendt read that eichmann was to be arraigned, she contacted the editor of the. The experience of action patchen markell dissent in dark times. Patchen markell born august 30, 1969 is an associate professor of political science at cornell. I am currently finishing a book on hannah arendts political thought called politics against rule. The reception of hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem in the united states 19632011. The trial of hannah arendt national endowment for the. Arendt on the logic and legacy of imperialism karuna mantena on race and culture.
Hannah arendts five articles on the 1961 trial of adolf eichmann by the. For many readers, hannah arendts the human conditon 1958 is, for better or worse, one of the founding texts of the postmarxist turn to an austere, rarefied notion of the political detached from concrete social life, which celebrates action for its own sake while denigrating instrumental work and embodied labor. In eichmann in jerusalem, arendt allegedly argued that eichmann was an unthinking bureaucrat who was just following orders. Hannah arendt, martin heidegger, friendship and forgiveness 2010. Hannah arendt was one of the most compelling and provocative thinkers of her time, and she remains indispensable today. Mark antaki lying and politics a lying world order. No communication was possible with him, not because he lied but because he was surrounded by the most reliable of all safeguards against the words and the presence of others, and hence against reality as such. Arendt on the foundations of equality jeremy waldron arendts augustine roy t. Arendt, a jew who fled germany during adolf hitlers rise to power, reported on adolf eichmanns trial for the new yorker. This book originates in an unusual conference that was held at bard college to celebrate hannah arendts onehundredth birthday. Crises of our republics, the conference gathers international scholars and writers to commemorate the centenary of arendts birth and celebrate her life and work.
Quotes the trouble with eichmann was precisely that so. Eichmann in center for european studies at harvard. Hannah arendt, the german jewish political philosopher who had escaped from a nazi internment camp, 1 had obtained international fame and recognition in 1951 with her book the origins of totalitarianism. The writer was hannah arendt and the fivepart article which emerged, eichmann in jerusalem, set off what is considered to be one of the most passionate public debates concerning the. The reception of hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem in. Hannnah arendt 19061975 was for many years university professor of political philosophy in the graduate faculty of the new school for social research and a visiting fellow of the committee on social thought at the university of chicago. International law and human plurality in the shadow of totalitarianism. Hannah arendts portrayal of the terrible consequences of blind obedience, eichmann in jerusalem.