220068 The Sciences during National Socialism (S) (SoSe 2026)

The seminar’s theme refers to a history of the relationship of the sciences with the NS state. During National Socialism, the sciences, technology, and medicine took an active part in racist persecution and crimes against humankind. NS laws led to the forced expulsion and emigration of thousands of scholars, many of them later perishing in the Shoah. At the same time, scientists profited from sharp increases in governmental funding, mostly related to armament and autarky, and participated in the set-up of the racist occupation regime during World War II. In the seminar, we will get an overview of the historiography, and delve into the histories of some selected disciplines, projects, and institutions. It is based on the reading, and discussion, of relevant texts of the secondary literature.