Berlin Electropolis: Shock, Nerves, and German Modernity by Andreas Killen (Engl

Description: Berlin Electropolis by Andreas Killen ""Berlin Electropolis is the first English-language history of neurasthenia or of nerves in the German context. However, the author does more than just narrate the history of this central, yet puzzling malady; he discusses the construction, maintenance, and ultimate unraveling of a cultural assumption, by which modernity and progress were seen as creating nervous pathology. Killen introduces readers to a great deal of fascinating material and forges new connections between science, culture and society."—Paul Lerner, author of "Hysterical Men: War, Psychiatry, and the Politics of Trauma in Germany, 1890-1930 FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Berlin Electropolis ties the German discourse on nervousness in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to Berlins transformation into a capital of the second industrial revolution. Focusing on three key groups-railway personnel, soldiers, and telephone operators-Andreas Killen traces the emergence in the 1880s and then later decline of the belief that modernity caused nervous illness. During this period, Killen explains, Berlin became arguably the most advanced metropolis in Europe. A host of changes, many associated with breakthroughs in technologies of transportation, communication, and leisure, combined to radically alter the shape and tempo of everyday life in Berlin. The resulting consciousness of accelerated social change and the shocks and afflictions that accompanied it found their consummate expression in the discourse about nervousness. Wonderfully researched and clearly written, this book offers a wealth of new insights into the nature of the modern metropolis, the psychological aftermath of World War I, and the operations of the German welfare state. Killen also explores cultural attitudes toward electricity, the evolution of psychiatric thought and practice, and the status of women workers in Germanys rapidly industrializing economy. Ultimately, he argues that the backlash against the welfare state that occurred during the late Weimar Republic brought about the final decoupling of modernity and nervous illness. Back Cover ""Berlin Electropolis is the first English-language history of neurasthenia or of nerves in the German context. However, the author does more than just narrate the history of this central, yet puzzling malady; he discusses the construction, maintenance, and ultimate unraveling of a cultural assumption, by which modernity and progress were seen as creating nervous pathology. Killen introduces readers to a great deal of fascinating material and forges new connections between science, culture and society."--Paul Lerner, author of "Hysterical Men: War, Psychiatry, and the Politics of Trauma in Germany, 1890-1930 Flap ""Berlin Electropolis" is the first English-language history of neurasthenia or of nerves in the German context. However, the author does more than just narrate the history of this central, yet puzzling malady; he discusses the construction, maintenance, and ultimate unraveling of a cultural assumption, by which modernity and progress were seen as creating nervous pathology. Killen introduces readers to a great deal of fascinating material and forges new connections between science, culture and society."--Paul Lerner, author of "Hysterical Men: War, Psychiatry, and the Politics of Trauma in Germany, 1890-1930" Author Biography Andreas Killen is Assistant Professor of History at City College of New York, CUNY, and is the author of 1973: A Cultural History (2005). Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Berlin Electropolis 2. Electrotherapy and the Nervous Self in Nineteenth-Century Germany 3. Railway Accidents, Social Insurance, and the Pathogenesis of Mass Nervousness, 1889--1914 4. Electrotherapy and the Nervous Self during Wartime 5. Psychiatrists, Telephone Operators, and Traumatic Neurosis, 1900--1926 Conclusion Notes Selected Bibliography Index Review "Killen introduces readers to a great deal of fascinating material and forges new connections between science, culture, and society." Long Description "Berlin Electropolis "ties the German discourse on nervousness in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to Berlins transformation into a capital of the second industrial revolution. Focusing on three key groups--railway personnel, soldiers, and telephone operators--Andreas Killen traces the emergence in the 1880s and then later decline of the belief that modernity caused nervous illness. During this period, Killen explains, Berlin became arguably the most advanced metropolis in Europe. A host of changes, many associated with breakthroughs in technologies of transportation, communication, and leisure, combined to radically alter the shape and tempo of everyday life in Berlin. The resulting consciousness of accelerated social change and the shocks and afflictions that accompanied it found their consummate expression in the discourse about nervousness. Wonderfully researched and clearly written, this book offers a wealth of new insights into the nature of the modern metropolis, the psychological aftermath of World War I, and the operations of the German welfare state. Killen also explores cultural attitudes toward electricity, the evolution of psychiatric thought and practice, and the status of women workers in Germanys rapidly industrializing economy. Ultimately, he argues that the backlash against the welfare state that occurred during the late Weimar Republic brought about the final decoupling of modernity and nervous illness. Review Quote "Killen introduces readers to a great deal of fascinating material and forges new connections between science, culture, and society." Details ISBN0520243625 Author Andreas Killen Short Title BERLIN ELECTROPOLIS Publisher University of California Press Language English ISBN-10 0520243625 ISBN-13 9780520243620 Media Book Format Hardcover DEWEY 362.196 Series Number 38 Year 2006 Imprint University of California Press Subtitle Shock, Nerves, and German Modernity Country of Publication United States Edition 1st Place of Publication Berkerley Illustrations black & white illustrations DOI 10.1604/9780520243620 UK Release Date 2006-01-16 AU Release Date 2006-01-16 NZ Release Date 2006-01-16 US Release Date 2006-01-16 Pages 308 Series Weimar & Now: German Cultural Criticism Publication Date 2006-01-16 Audience Professional & Vocational We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:159361714;

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