CFP: Rammstein and Philosophy: Sexuality, right wing politics, satire, body images, Echoes of 1920s Berlin Cabaret and the Weimar Republic (Working title)

Rammstein and Philosophy: Sexuality, right wing politics, satire, body images, Echoes of 1920s Berlin Cabaret and the Weimar Republic (Working title)

Edited By: Christopher M. Innes

Abstracts of essays are requested for essays about the German rock group Rammstein. Essays will become part of chapters in an edited collection. I am aiming for a publication date of December 28, 2027. The publishers are McFarland; Company, Inc.

Rammstein is a prominent part of the rock music scene in Germany and the world spanning the end of the 20th century to our present day. The book will focus on music, culture, social and political expression and any matter that an essay contributor might suggest writing about, though I would like some on Rammstein and Echoes of 1920s Berlin Cabaret and the Weimar Republic

Chapters will be organized to discuss the different aspects of Rammstein. The book is aimed primarily at philosophy readers interested in Rammstein and rock music in general with a cross over to musicology and aesthetics, though it is also expected that a significant minority who are not scholars will read this book.

Chapters must focus on topics that are closely connected to the music, life, work, or cultural impact of Rammstein. Chapters should not be merely exposition, nor merely expressions of Rammstein’s’ ideas, but should philosophically and fairly assess aspects of. The prose style should show research that is academically unpretentious. The essays will have philosophy shine light on an understanding of Rammstein.

My interest is on Rammstein and Echoes of 1920s Berlin Cabaret and the Weimar Republic, but you can write an essay on what you find important. I first listened to Rammstein’s second album Sehnsucht in 1998. Its Berlin Cabaret and 1920s melodrama struck me as obvious. The rock band Rammstein has been influenced by many music genres, incidences, and social themes. I want to have one or two sections of the book center around the theme of the 1920s cabaret scene in Berlin, the social and political themes of the Weimar Republic and its influences on Rammstein’s music and stage performance. This is a controversial theme because the band denies the influence of 1920’s Berlin. With the Berlin Cabaret performed decadently in the Netflix series, Babylon Berlin, people have been exposed to its music (Operatic spectacle), stage performance and surrounding social and political upheaval.

I also want to trace as satire and social criticism from the Weimar Republic, through East Germany, to a unified Germany in a European and American context of rising fascism and authoritarianism. This can be done with a view to politics and the social world without reference to the prewar Germany. It is your essay, and my ideas are only suggestions.

Rammstein also struggle with their anti-fascist subtlety being co-opted by actual fascist and nationalist groups. I think it is important to understand that the band comes from what was the Communist East Germany, the DDR, and that their view about the state is conflicted, but the Theater and Brecht are probably, and other influences, influences. And what is happening on stage as well is something to consider.

This book will be different from Littlejohn’s and Putnam’s book Rammstein on Fire: New Perspectives on the Music and Performances which talks of stage performance and art. Please refer to Littlejohn’s and Putnam’s book to avoid any reproduction, though the Berlin Cabaret and Weimar Republic and other themes with the analysis of sexuality and politics will keep us focused on other philosophical areas and should keep contributors away from such themes.

Kindly submit abstracts by e-mail (with or without Word attachment) to [email protected]

Submission Guidelines:

1. Submission deadline for abstracts (200-300 words) and CVs: May 26, 2025

2. Submission deadline for drafts of accepted papers: March 24, 2026

3. Submission deadline for final essays of accepted papers: June 30, 2026

4. Peer Review starting on: late December 2026

5. The length of the manuscript in 12-point type on double-spaced 8 1/2” by 11” pages or an estimated word count. 6000-word essays with the book being 100,000 words: 14 – 18

essays