Une construction de l'éternité : l'image et le temps du national-socialisme
Institution:
Paris 1Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
National socialism, defined by hitler as "the dictatorship of genius", based ist authority on the prestige of art on the one hand, on the structure of the christian incarnation on the other. In each of these two patterns, the regime aimed at the process able to lead from the "idea" to the "from" (gestalt), to give substance and reality to the volksgeist, the soul, the god or the genius of the german people. The community of the people had to find its identity and its salvation by its "creative work", from which nazism expected the best "achievements" (leistungen) : a work classed as an artistic activity, under the direction of a fuhrer who presented himself both as the german christ and the artist of germany. Directed by an artist, this work was sustained by the classical conception of art : the idea had to materialize into the form and the intention had to be kept in its very purity until its final materialization. Directed by the german christ at the head of the mystic community of a people at work, the materialization of the idea into form was the process through which the soul of the people had to shape and embodied itself in its very purity. Nazism merged these two patterns of art and christianity for their exemplary performative nature. Thus the "creative work" and its leistungen, is achievements ane embodiments gave substance to the myth of a naturally superior "aryan" race while delimiting its outline and detaching it from its parasite background in order to make it finally appear, unalloyed. But the faith in the power of the myth was supported by a double action operated on historical time : the recollection of past successes and the anticipation of future successes. What was at stazke in this construction of eternity was the merging of the three dimensions of times in the religion of success and "aryan" achievement.
Abstract FR:
Le national-socialisme, defini par hitler comme "la dictature du genie", fondait son autorite sur le prestige de l'art d'une part, sur la structure de l'incarnation chretienne de l'autre. Dans chacun de ces deux modeles, le regime visait le processus capable de mener de l'"idee" a la "forme" (gestalt), de donner corps et realite au volksgeist, a l'esprit, au dieu ou au genie du peuple allemand la communaute du peuple devait trouver son identite et son salut par son "travail createur", dont le nazisme attendait les meilleures "performances" (leistungen) : un travail assimile a l'activite artistique, sous la direction d'un fuhrer qui se presentait a la fois comme le christ allemand et comme l'artiste de l'allemagne. Dirige par un artiste, ce travail etait anime par le concept classique de l'art : l'idee devait se realiser dans la forme et l'intentioin etre conservee dans toute sa purete jusqu'a sa realisation finale. Dirige par le christ allemand a la tere de la communaute mystique d'un peuple au travail, la realisation de l'idee dans la forme etait le processus par lequel l'esprit du peuple devait se former son corps et s'y incarner dans toute sa purete. Le nazisme fusionnait ces deux modeles de l'art et du christianisme pour leur performativite exemplaire. Ce fut donc le "travail createur" et ses leistungen, ses performances et realisations, qui donnerent consistance au mythe d'une race "aryenne" naturellement superieure, dessinant ses contours, la detachant de son fond parasite pour qu'elle apparut enfin sans melange. Mais la foi en la puissance du mythe s'etayait sur une double operation sur le temps historique : la rememoration des succes passes et l'anticipation des succes a venir. Rassembler les trois dimensions du temps dans une region du succes et de la performance "aryenne" : tel fut l'enjeu de cette construction de l'eternite.