Nazi Spatial Theory: the Dark Geographies of Carl Schmitt and Walter Christaller Trevor J
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This article was downloaded by: [Trevor Barnes] On: 23 March 2012, At: 09:17 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Annals of the Association of American Geographers Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/raag20 Nazi Spatial Theory: The Dark Geographies of Carl Schmitt and Walter Christaller Trevor J. Barnes a & Claudio Minca b c a Department of Geography, University of British Columbia b Cultural Geography Department, Wageningen University c Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London Available online: 23 Mar 2012 To cite this article: Trevor J. Barnes & Claudio Minca (2012): Nazi Spatial Theory: The Dark Geographies of Carl Schmitt and Walter Christaller, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, DOI:10.1080/00045608.2011.653732 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2011.653732 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Nazi Spatial Theory: The Dark Geographies of Carl Schmitt and Walter Christaller Trevor J. Barnes∗ and Claudio Minca† ∗Department of Geography, University of British Columbia †Cultural Geography Department, Wageningen University; and Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London The concern with space and, more fundamentally, the formulation of a larger, guiding spatial theory, was central to achieving Nazi objectives during the Third Reich. We disclose critical elements of that theory, focusing on two contributions: the first by the jurist and international legal and political theorist Carl Schmitt (1888–1985) and the second by the geographer Walter Christaller (1893–1969). Applying the perverted biopolitical logic of National Socialism required the military accomplishment and bureaucratic management of two interrelated spa- tial processes: deterritorialization and reterritorialization. Deterritorialization involved moving non-Germanized Germans (mainly Jews and Slavs) off conquered Eastern lands to create an “empty space” that was then “reter- ritorialized” by the settlement of “legitimate” Germans (although often not German citizens). Although many German academics were involved in designing and implementing these spatial strategies, we single out two. Carl Schmitt provided a politico-judicial justification for reterritorialization involving the geographical expansion of the Third Reich: Großraum (greater space). Conceived four months before Germany’s Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland that triggered World War II, Großraum provided the (literal) grounds for Nazi reterritorialization. Walter Christaller brought his peculiar spatial imaginary of formal geometry and place-based rural romanti- cism in planning the “empty space” of the East after non-Germanized inhabitants were removed. His central place theory re-created the Nazis’ territorial conquests in the geographical likeness of the German homeland. Key Words: Carl Schmitt, Nazism, reactionary modernism, spatial theory, Walter Christaller. Downloaded by [Trevor Barnes] at 09:17 23 March 2012 La preocupacion´ con el espacio y, mas´ fundamentalmente, con la formulacion´ de una teor´ıa espacial orienta- dora, de mayor alcance, fue muy importante para alcanzar los objetivos nazis durante el Tercer Reich. Des- glosamos los elementos cr´ıticos de aquella teor´ıa, concentrandonos´ en dos contribuciones: primera, la del jurista yteorico´ pol´ıtico y legal internacional Carl Schmitt (1888–1985), y segunda, la del geografo´ Walter Christaller (1893–1969). Aplicar la perversa logica´ biopol´ıtica del Nacional Socialismo requirio´ el logro militar y manejo burocratico´ de dos procesos espaciales interrelacionados: deterritorializacion´ y reterritorializacion.´ La deterrito- rializacion´ involucraba el desplazamiento de alemanes no germanizados (principalmente jud´ıos y eslavos) de las tierras conquistadas en el este para crear un espacio vac´ıo que ser´ıa luego reterritorializado con asentamientos de alemanes “leg´ıtimos” (que a menudo no eran ciudadanos alemanes). Aunque muchos academicos´ alemanes se vieron involucrados en disenar˜ e implementar estas estrategias espaciales, nos referiremos solamente a dos. Carl Schmitt se encargo´ de dotar a la reterritorializacion´ de una justificacion´ pol´ıtico-judicial que implicaba la expansion´ geografica´ del Tercer Reich: el Großraum (el espacio mayor). Concebido cuatro meses antes de la invasion´ Blitzkrieg de Alemania a Polonia, con la que se dio comienzo a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el Großraum Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 00(0) XXXX, pp. 1–19 C XXXX by Association of American Geographers Initial submission, December 2010; revised submission, May 2011; final acceptance, July 2011 Published by Taylor & Francis, LLC. 2 Barnes and Minca literalmente aporto´ el terreno para la reterritorializacion´ nazi. Walter Christaller contribuyo´ su peculiar imagi- nario espacial de geometr´ıa formal y un romanticismo rural basado en la idea de lugar para la planificacion´ del “espacio vac´ıo” del este, despues´ de que sus habitantes no germanizados fueron expelidos. Su teor´ıa de las plazas centrales sirvio´ para re-crear las conquistas territoriales de los nazis en semejanza geografica´ de la tierra natal alemana. Palabras clave: Carl Schmitt, nazismo, modernismo reaccionario, teor´ıa espacial, Walter Christaller. nglo-American human geography has been Socialism’s “Crown Jurist.” Increasingly he sought both mainly silent about the constitution of the legally and politically to justify Fascism, the Fuhrer,¨ and A geographies of Hitler’s empire. The relatively concomitant violent deeds, including political murder.4 few although often excellent contributions to the For our purposes, most germane was Schmitt’s geograph- topic have sparked only limited interest (Bassin 1987; ical imaginary, which entered into the larger Nazi dis- Charlesworth 1992, 1994, 2003, 2004a, 2004b; Cole course and was represented most readily by Großraum and Graham 1995; Clarke, Doel, and McDonough (“greater space”).5 Großraum provided a spatial justi- 1996; Doel and Clark 1998; Cole 2003, 2009; El- fication for the National Socialist state expansion, for den 2003, 2006; Keil 2005; Charlesworth et al. 2006; Germany to dominate a larger geographical region, and Gregory 2009).1 In contrast, in history, philosophy, so- for the Nazis to take over the world. ciology, and political theory, critical examination and Walter Christaller (1893–1969), in comparison, was debate about the Nazi project and its theories have a petty bureaucrat and a technician. But he was no less been energetic and widespread (see, among many oth- a producer of dark Nazi geographies. With the opposite ers, Herf 1984; Burleigh 1988, 2000; Bauman 1989; academic trajectory to Schmitt, intermittent, slow, and Agamben, 1998, 2005; Browning 2004). Not in Anglo- often unsuccessful,6 he finally completed his doctoral American geography, however, where even the recent dissertation at the Geography Department, University interest in genocide, and in the writings of Agamben of Erlangen, Die zentralen Orte in Suddeutschland¨ (Cen- and Schmitt (Geografiska Annaler B 88(4), 2006; and tral Places in Southern Germany; Christaller 1966), the Legg 2012), has done little to provoke disciplinary dis- same year Schmitt became professor in Berlin. Initially cussion about the spaces of Nazism. This article is an fearful of the Brown Shirts, by 1940 Christaller, like attempt at remediation, concerned with outlining some Schmitt, had become a Party member. He worked for of the elements that made up Nazi spatial theory, by ex- a key administrator in Himmler’s SS,7 Konrad Meyer, ploring the works of two Nazi academics who influenced Professor of Agronomy at Berlin University. Meyer directly and indirectly postwar human geography: the headed several branches of Nazi bureaucracy, including legal theorist Carl Schmitt and the geographer Walter the Planning and Soil Department (Hauptabteilung Pla- Christaller. Of the two, Schmitt (1888–1985) is better nung und Boden) in which Christaller worked and that known and over the last decade or so has received con- fell under the Himmler-led Reichs Commission for the siderable attention across the range of human sciences, Strengthening of Germandom (Reichskommiseriat fur¨ die 2 Downloaded by [Trevor Barnes] at 09:17 23 March 2012 including geography. Festigung deutschen Volkstums, or RKFDV). Christaller’s As a youth, Schmitt was a brilliant law student, task was to reconfigure the internal geography of Ger- completing his second dissertation, the Habilitation,in many’s newly acquired territories. His