Rausch

From the earliest periods of history human beings have used mind-altering substances. In addition, in almost all religions we find techniques for meditation which may induce states of trance or ecstasy which serve to facilitate experiencing the divine. Yet in many societies, trance, ecstasy and even intoxication are taboo unless they are practiced in social spaces authorized for their use, like nightclubs, or where they are seen as culturally productive, as in the visual arts, music, or literature. Further complicating matters, the legitimacy of drug-induced mind-altering states is controversial among jurists, educators, and physicians. Those arguing in favour often point to the alleged religious basis of Rausch, while those opposing this right often cite a moral duty to sobriety. Whether religious, reckless, chemically induced or all of these, the whole constellation of phenomena is encompassed by the single German word Rausch. In 2019, a series of lectures delivered at the University of Bonn focused on the societal ambivalences surrounding Rausch from an interdisciplinary perspective – as a religious, psychological, social, legal, and cultural phenomenon. The results of this extraordinary series are documented in this volume. With contributions by Clemens Albrecht, Christoph Antweiler, Andreas Bell, Walter Bruchhausen, Robert Feustel, Dorothee Gall, Albert Gerhards, Tobias Janz, Jörg Kinzig, Wolfram Kinzig, Alexandra Philipsen, Irmgard Rüsenberg, Markus Saur, Jochen Sautermeister, Detlef Siegfried, Christoph Schreier, Birgitta Sträter, Nathalie Thies.