The Happy Burden of History: From Sovereign Impunity to Responsible Selfhood
Language: English
Published by De Gruyter, 2011
Series: Book 7 of 33 - Interdisciplinary German Cultural Studies
- Hardcover
- Used

Seller: Mesquite Booksellers, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.Mesquite Booksellers
AbeBooks seller since December 4, 2025
Condition: Used - As new
US$ 115.00
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
xvi,247. 511 grams. 6.25 x 9.25 x .75 inches. No jacket, as issued. If you order this from outside the United States, we will request an additional payment to help cover the postage. Please feel welcome to message us with any questions, or a request for photographs. Every order includes tracking and is wrapped and robustly packaged with care in Tucson, AZ. ~Mesquite Booksellers.
Seller Inventory # 76123
- Title
- The Happy Burden of History: From Sovereign Impunity to Responsible Selfhood
- Author
- Andrew Stuart Bergerson, K. Scott Baker, Clancy Martin and Steve Ostovich
- Publisher
- De Gruyter
- Publication year
- 2011
- Condition
- As new
- Dust jacket
- No Jacket
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 3110246368
- ISBN 13
- 9783110246360
- Item weight
- 511 grams
- Dimensions
- 6.25 inches width by 9.25 inches height by 0.75 inches depth
- Series
- Book 7 of 33: Interdisciplinary German Cultural Studies
- Seller catalogs
- History, Philosophy, Religion
Germans are often accused of failing to take responsibility for Nazi crimes, but what precisely should ordinary people do differently? Indeed, scholars have yet to outline viable alternatives for how any of us should respond to terror and genocide. And because of the way they compartmentalize everyday life, our discipline-bound analyses often disguise more than they illuminate. Written by a historian, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian, The Happy Burden of History takes an integrative approach to the problem of responsible selfhood. Exploring the lives and letters of ordinary and intellectual Germans who faced the ethical challenges of the Third Reich, it focuses on five typical tools for cultivating the modern self: myths, lies, non-conformity, irony, and modeling. The authors carefully dissect the ways in which ordinary and intellectual Germans excused their violent claims to mastery with a sense of ‘sovereign impunity.’ They then recuperate the same strategies of selfhood for our contemporary world, but in ways that are self-critical and humble. The book shows how viewing this problem from within everyday life can empower and encourage us to bear the burden of historical responsibility ‑ and be happy doing so.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Andrew Stuart Bergerson, K. Scott Baker, and Clancy Martin, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Steve Ostovich, College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota, USA.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Mesquite Booksellers
Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since December 4, 2025
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | US$ 3.00 | US$ 5.50 |
Payment methods
Store description
Mesquite Booksellers specializes in history, philosophy and the social sciences. Most titles are academic press. We offer some heavily discounted Bradt Guides, as a service to the world-curious. We buy collections of academic books; please message us through AbeBooks should you wish to sell yours. More photographs of any book will happily be sent to you upon request. Please message us with any questions!
Specialty
History, philosophy and the social sciences. Most titles are academic press.Seller's business information
Mesquite Booksellers
AZ, U.S.A.
Terms of sale
We carefully evaluate each title listed for sale. If you are unsatisfied with the condition of any book, you may return it (in the same condition as you received it) for a full refund within 30 days.
Payment may only be made via AbeBooks.
Shipping terms
All shipments will originate in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Orders placed Sunday-Friday will be processed and shipped by 5pm the next day. Should you order on a Saturday or a holiday, we will ship on the next available business day.
All books are carefully and robustly packaged.
We do not drop ship. All titles are in our possession and immediately accessible.
Shipping within the United States will be conducted by USPS Media Mail.
International shipments will be sent via the United States Postal Service (USPS). This means that when the parcel arrives in your country, it will be handled and delivered by your country's national postal service (not a private courier). We are likely to request an additional payment to help cover the cost of an international shipment.
Important Notice to International Buyers: Import duties, taxes and other charges by your country's authorities are not included in the item price or shipping charges. Check with your local customs office to determine what these additional costs may be. Once a parcel arrives in your country, your country's authorities and postal service may process and deliver that parcel quite quickly, or quite slowly. Once the parcel arrives in your country, neither Mesquite Booksellers nor the United States Postal Service is responsible for a slow processing and delivery. Shipping time estimates concern the speed with which the parcel arrives to your country, not how quickly it arrives at your door. Some of the best (fastest) performers in this regard: Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Australia, Slovakia, Hungary, Israel. Some of the worst performers: Italy, Spain, France, Mexico.