Of Basques, Greeks, and Germans: Liberalism, Nationalism, and the Ancient Republican Tradition in the Thought of Wilhelm von Humboldt

Abstract

The relationships between German intellectuals and politics at the turn of the nineteenth century have been much debated, with the nature of the German liberal tradition at the core of controversy, and with questions about the interconnections between liberalism, nationalism, and neohumanistBildungcircling not far beyond that core. Prominent in such discussions stands the figure of the Prussian scholar and statesman Wilhelm von Humboldt. Best known today variously for his part in overhauling the Prussian educational system during the “reform era” of Chancellors Stein and Hardenberg, or for helping to establish the disciplines of classical philology and comparative linguistics, Humboldt also authored one of the seminal texts in the European liberal tradition and was actively involved in the diplomacy, constitutional planning, and nationalist upheaval surrounding Napoleon's expulsion from Germany and the subsequent construction of the German Confederation.

Bildung and Transformative Learning Theory: Two Peas in a Pod?

“…Social relationships and interactions are essential to forming one’s identity whilst appreciating the richness of others. For Humboldt’s notion of Bildung to be achieved, freedom of exploration through a myriad of different intimate social encounters is required (Vick, 2007). Therefore, even though this emancipatory process of self-formation is ultimately the development of one’s autonomy, it can only occur with and through others.…”

Ethnography and liberty: a new look at the anthropological work of Wilhelm von Humboldt

“…In contrast, his ethnographic writings have gone widely unnoticed so far. To this day, only a few accounts have been given: Vick (2007), as a historian, looks at Humboldt's studies of the ancient Greeks and the Basques and relates them to his political work; the philosopher Zabaleta-Gorrotxategi (2013, 2006 analyses the turn from encompassing ethnography to linguistics in Humboldt's studies of the Basques; and I, as an educationalist, consider Humboldt's observations of the French, the Spaniards, and the Basques in regard to his educational reforms (Mattig 2019).…”