"Startlingly, by 1914 Braun was espousing nationalistic ideas similar to those that would later be taken up by the National Socialists, and had repudiated many of her long-held feminist stances. She was no longer a pacifist, and her "feminism" now encompassed racial hygiene. Lischke provides a view of both the political and the literary sides of this enigmatic figure, as well as views of the German feminism and literary trends of the period."--BOOK JACKET.

" . . . a warm, interesting, intellectual biography . . . " —German Studies Review " . . . thoughtful analysis . . . fine book . . . " —Slavic Review The remarkable life of the maverick German socialist feminist Lily Braun (1865–1916) and the relevance of her ideas to the women's movement of our own day emerge with strength and sensitivity.

ÒAn excellent introduction to an early socialist . . . Ó ÑThe Book ReaderÒI thank Alfred Meyer for making Lily Braun available to us again.Ó ÑDiane Shooman, WomenÕs Studies International ForumThis anthology makes available for the first time in English a sampling of the writings of Lily Braun (1865Ð1916), a prominent German feminist and socialist whose ideas were ahead of her time. A companion volume to MeyerÕs fine intellectual biography of Braun, this book underlines the relevance of BraunÕs ideas to the concerns of the womenÕs movement of our own day.

Reforming the Moral Subject explores a movement known as "ethics reform" that flourished in Central Europe between 1890 and 1930. Tracie Matysik examines the works of German-speaking intellectuals and activists-moral philosophers, sociologists, legal theorists, pedagogy specialists, psychoanalysts, sexual liberationists, and others-who discovered in the language of ethics a means to revitalize the public sphere. Ethics reformers used the academic field of moral philosophy to contest public- and state-sponsored rhetoric that they thought equated "morality" with national loyalty, religious tradition, and repressive sexual mores. They founded organizations and periodicals, circulated brochures, and hosted lectures and conferences, all aimed at rethinking ethics for a secular modernity. Arising in a context sharply influenced by materialism, Darwinism, and the advent of sexology, ethics debates gradually focused not surprisingly on the role of sexuality in definitions of ethics and of the moral subject. Intellectuals and activists came to agree that sexuality was central to the formation of the moral subject. Some viewed the moral subject as that individual who had learned to suppress sexual drives, while others saw sexual drives and sexual autonomy as the source of moral energy and sentiment. The association of sexuality with a wide and variegated discussion of ethics made the sexualized moral subject an open concept that could not be fully regulated, confined, or conflated with national identities. Matysik's compelling intellectual and cultural history of ethics and moral subjectivity reframes the nature of German liberalism and intellectual activism from the end of the nineteenth century until the interwar period.

"One of the most important works of German and European intellectual history published in years. . . . It will be welcomed by intellectual historians as a long overdue history of the multivalent reception and reworking of Nietzsche."—Jeffrey Herf, author of Reactionary Modernism

Today, a multiplicity of feminist approaches has become an integral part of the fields of German literary and cultural studies. This comprehensive reference provides a much needed synthesis of the contribution women have made to German literature and culture. In entries for more than 500 topics, the volume surveys literary periods, epochs, and genres; critical approaches and theories; important authors and works; female stereotypes; laws and historical developments; literary concepts and themes; and organizations and archives relevant to women and women's studies. Each entry offers a concise identification of the term, a discussion of its significance, and a bibliography of works for further reading. Today, a multiplicity of feminist approaches has become an integral part of the fields of German literary and cultural studies. While biographical works on women writers exist, this is the first reference to synthesize the wealth of feminist scholarship in German studies. While existing reference works focus exclusively on women authors, this volume contains numerous topical entries and covers the role of women in German literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the present day. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on more than 500 topics. While some entries are provided for important women writers and other individuals, the bulk of the volume provides information on literary periods, epochs, and genres; critical approaches and theories; female stereotypes; laws and historical developments; literary concepts and themes; and organizations and archives relevant to women and women's studies. Each entry includes a brief identification of the subject, a discussion of feminist thought on the topic, and a brief bibliography. Entries are written by numerous contributors and reflect a range of critical/theoretical approaches.