LEBENSRAUM AND RACE PRIDE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The aim of the article is to outline a genealogy of the concept of Lebensraum and it will focus on the way that evolutionary thoughts of Darwin were translated into 19th century German philosophy, particularly in the political thinking of Friedrich Ratzel and his famous concept of “Lebensraum”. A Ratzelian philosophy aimed towards a synthesis between “aim” and “space”, national ideology character and nationalism and planning. The focus is not to argue for a revitalization of its usage or incorporation into contemporary discourse. Rather, its aim is to place the renewed interest and connection in geography concerning the co-relation between German Fascist Ideology with the identical inspiration of RSS & BJP in India.

“For those who seek in politics a substitute for religion, who make political loyalty a matter of faith, or try to direct the forces of men’s soul into the paths of their own political advancement”.1

In contextual relation to the quote, it is fascinating to notice the similarities or, perhaps, more accurately elective affinities between the 19th century and contemporary concerns. The ways that these concerns resonate within political and social discourses are of course different. Of particular relevance here are the ways in which contemporary geography has undergone a semantic shift in recent years towards a reinvigorated vitalism or vital materialism.2

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1 William Little, Introduction to Sociology, Religion, Chapter 15, 2nd edition, BC Open Textbook Project, at www.opentextbook.ca/introductiontosociology2ndedition.
2 N. Thrift, Non-representational Theory: Space, Politics, Affects (London: Routledge, 2007).