[INDOLOGY] German Indology and National Socialism

[Eli Franco]

Dear list members,

In response to my critical presentation of the debate between him and  
Jakob Stuchlik occasioned by Stuchlik’s book on Erich Frauwallner and  
National Socialism, Professor Walter Slaje has honored me with a long  
and angry diatribe; evidently, my critical comments stung where they  
aimed. Admittedly, in spite of his obnoxiously pompous and arrogant  
tone, distortive and manipulative presentation, and uncanny propensity  
to deliberately ignore relevant evidence, some of the details Slaje  
polemically points out are apposite and should be considered in a  
further discussion. However, they are only marginally relevant to the  
core of my paper. As I show, when it comes to its main points, he  
fails completely, for they all stand. They are the following:

1) Frauwallner was an anti-Semite and did not change his attitude even  
after WWII and the holocaust.
2) Frauwallner’s affiliation with National Socialism was not due to a  
passing sentiment but a deeply held conviction, and he continued to  
embrace NS propaganda long after the war.
3) Frauwallner was not only a member of the NSDAP, but also worked for  
NS institutions, such as the SA and the Gestapo.
4) Frauwallner tried to appropriate Jewish property with the charming  
justification that “up until now I have not acquired any Jewish  
assets” (“Ich habe bisher kein Judenvermögen erworben”).
5) Frauwallner applied a racist theory to the entire history of Indian  
philosophy.

I have no intention to begin a trench warfare with Slaje, that is, to  
dwell on every false argument, point out every distortion, explain  
every error, etc., in his paper. Were I to do so, I would have to  
write a small monograph, and a tedious one, likely to exhaust both  
writer and reader. What I do instead is to summarize and augment the  
evidence that establishes the above-mentioned five points,  
underpinning the key points of my argument which leave no room for  
ambiguity. Furthermore, I say a few words on one more point made in my  
paper and attacked by Slaje, namely,

6) the lack of engagement on the part of German Indologists with the  
history of the discipline in the dark times of National Socialism  
(“Where are the German Indologists?”).

On the whole, one may apply Frauwallner’s question about Herbert  
Günther (later spelled Guenther), who stole some of his books shortly  
after WWII, to Slaje: “Does he think that he is dealing with idiots?”

Slaje’s embarrassing review of Stuchlik’s work has already tarnished  
his reputation. His current attempt to save face will hardly enhance it.

For those interested, my response is posted in:
https://www.academia.edu/127441538/Does_Herr_Slaje_think_that_he_is_dealing_with_idiots_Rejoinder_to_Walter_Slaje_Indologists_and_Contemporary_History_Eli_Franco_on_Erich_Frauwallner_as_a_Political_Subject_

With best wishes,
Eli




Zitat von Walter Slaje via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
>
>
> I would like to draw your attention to a recent critique of one of the
> articles announced by Prof Franco in his post of 22 September 2023, and
> will be happy to send a PDF to those who have difficulty accessing the
> article:
>
>
>
> https://zdmg.harrassowitz-library.com/article/ZDMG/2024/2/11
>
>
>
> If you are interested in a copy, please contact me off-list.
>
>
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Walter Slaje
>
>
>
>
>
> From franco at uni-leipzig.de  Fri Sep 22 08:54:26 2023
>
> From: franco at uni-leipzig.de (Eli Franco)
>
> Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2023 10:54:26 +0200
>
> Subject: [INDOLOGY] German Indology and National Socialism
>
>
>
> Dear list members,
>
>
>
> I would like to draw your attention to a special issue of NTM Zeitschrift
> f?r Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin/ NTM Journal of the
> History of Science, Technology and Medicine on German Indology and National
> Socialism, which contains the  following articles:
>
>
>
> Moritz Epple, Maria Framke, Eli Franco, Horst Junginger, and  Baijayanti
> Roy, Where do we Stand in the Historiography of Small  Disciplines in Nazi
> Germany? The Case of Indology
>
>
>
> Same authors, Introduction: Indology and Aryanism: Knowledge of India
>
> in Nazi Germany?An Invitation for New Research
>
> Maria Framke, Manoeuvring Across Academia in National Socialist
>
> Germany: The Life and Work of Devendra Nath Bannerjea
>
>
>
> Eli Franco, ?There is No Reliable Evidence to Pass Moral Judgment on
>
> Frauwallner.? Erich Frauwallner, Jakob Stuchlik, Walter Slaje, and the
> Whitewashing
>
> of Austrian Indology During the Time of National Socialism
>
> (I wish to take this opportunity to modify my final statement by
>
> referring to Axel Michaels, ?Sheldon Pollock and German Indology.? In:
>
> Hans Harder and Dhruv Raina (eds.), Disciplines and Movements.
>
> Conversations between India and the German-speaking World. Hyderabad:
>
> Orient BlackSwan, 85-104.)
>
>
>
> Baijayanti Roy, Knowledge of India as an Instrument of Nazi Politics:
>
> Ludwig Alsdorf, German Indology and Indian Anti-Colonialism
>
>
>
> Isabella Schwaderer, ?Exotic Sensation? or ?V?lkisch Art?? Press
>
> Reviews of the Indisches Ballett Menaka (Menaka Indian Ballet) on Tour
>
> Through Germany, 1936?1938
>
>
>
> All articles have Open Access and can be downloaded in
>
> https://link.springer.com/journal/48/online-first
>
>
>
> Best wishes and Shanah Tovah,
>
> Eli
>
>
>
> --
>
> Prof. Dr. Eli Franco
>
> Hegergasse 8/15
>
> Wien 1030
>
> Austria


-- 
Prof. Dr. Eli Franco
Hegergasse 8/15
Wien 1030
Austria