Norman Cohn: Illuminating the Shadows of Extremism
A deep dive into the historical analysis of persecution, fanaticism, and apocalyptic thought by a seminal 20th-century scholar.
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A Life of Scholarly Pursuit
Early Life and Education
Norman Rufus Colin Cohn was born in London on January 12, 1915. His background was complex: his father was German Jewish, and his mother was Catholic. This dual heritage, coupled with numerous German relatives, fostered a sense of being "a man between all worlds." He received his formative education at Gresham's School before matriculating at Christ Church, Oxford. There, he pursued Modern Languages, earning a first-class degree in French in 1936 and German in 1939.
Wartime Service and Post-War Encounters
Cohn dedicated six years to service in the British Army. Commissioned in 1939 into the Queen's Royal Regiment, he later transferred to the Intelligence Corps in 1944, where his linguistic skills were invaluable. Following the war, his posting in Vienna exposed him to numerous refugees fleeing Stalinism. The striking functional similarities between Nazism and Stalinism, despite their ideological opposition, profoundly shaped his academic interests, fueling his investigation into the historical underpinnings of such movements.
Academic Career and Research
After his military discharge, Cohn embarked on a distinguished academic career, teaching at universities across Scotland, Ireland, England, the United States, and Canada. In 1962, he became central to the establishment of the Centre for Research in Collective Psychopathology (later the Columbus Centre), initially funded by David Astor. This research initiative formally became part of the University of Sussex in 1966. Cohn served as the Astor-Wolfson Professor of History at Sussex from 1973 to 1980, dedicating his tenure to exploring the darker currents of human history.
Personal Life
In 1941, Norman Cohn married Vera Broido, with whom he had a son, the noted writer Nik Cohn. Following Vera's passing, he married Marina Voikhanskaya, a psychiatrist known for her activism against the Soviet Union's treatment of dissidents, in December 2004. Norman Cohn died on July 31, 2007, in Cambridge, England, at the age of 92, due to a degenerative heart condition.
A Scholar of Extremism
Research Focus
Norman Cohn's scholarly work centered on a critical examination of the historical roots of persecutorial fanaticism. He sought to understand how, during an era of industrial progress and democratic expansion, Europe could witness a resurgence of the brutal savageries characteristic of earlier historical periods. His research delved into the psychological and social mechanisms that drive extremism and collective violence.
Bridging Past and Present
Cohn's distinctive contribution was his ability to trace the lineage of destructive ideologies and movements from antiquity to the modern era. He identified recurring patterns in popular religious and social upheavals, demonstrating how ancient apocalyptic beliefs and anxieties could manifest in contemporary political and social phenomena. This approach allowed him to analyze the enduring appeal of extremist narratives.
Academic Affiliation
His primary academic home for many years was the University of Sussex, where he held significant positions including the Astor-Wolfson Professorship of History. This environment provided a platform for his pioneering research into collective psychopathology and the historical dynamics of persecution.
Seminal Works
Major Books
Cohn authored several influential books that explored the darker aspects of human history and belief systems:
- The Pursuit of the Millennium (1957): An seminal work tracing the historical patterns of popular religious and social movements, particularly chiliastic upheavals, from the Middle Ages through the 16th century. It revealed how these ancient patterns resonated within revolutionary movements of the 20th century.
- Warrant for Genocide (1967): This critical study meticulously deconstructed the antisemitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Cohn argued that this conspiracy theory served as a potent psychological catalyst for the mass murder of Jewish people during the Holocaust.
- Europe's Inner Demons (1975, revised 1993): This book investigated the historical origins of scapegoating and the pervasive mania for persecuting minorities within Christendom, culminating in the Great European witch-hunt. The revised edition focused on the demonization of Christians in medieval times.
- Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come (1993): Cohn explored the ancient roots of apocalyptic faith, tracing the development of religious themes concerning the end of the world across various ancient civilizations.
- Noah's Flood: The Genesis Story in Western Thought (1996): This work examined the enduring influence and interpretation of the biblical flood narrative throughout Western intellectual history.
Key Essays
Beyond his books, Cohn contributed significant essays to academic journals and publications, further developing his theories on collective myths, psychopathology, and the historical manifestations of evil. These include analyses of:
- The "Horns of Moses"
- The myth of the Jewish world conspiracy
- Monsters of chaos and the demonization of groups
- The concept of time and its consummation in apocalyptic thought
- The Saint-Simonian movement and its historical context
His essays often provided focused case studies that illuminated the broader themes present in his major works.
Core Intellectual Themes
The Dynamics of Extremism and Persecution
Cohn's central thesis revolved around the persistent recurrence of extreme ideologies and persecutory impulses throughout history. He argued that movements driven by fanaticism, whether religious or political, often share a common psychological structure. His work highlighted how societies can become susceptible to narratives that identify specific groups as embodiments of evil, thereby justifying their annihilation. He described his life's work as studies on phenomena that sought "to purify the world through the annihilation of some category of human beings imagined as agents of corruption and incarnations of evil."[2]
Chiliasm and Apocalyptic Visions
Through The Pursuit of the Millennium and Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come, Cohn meticulously documented the historical trajectory of chiliasmโthe belief in an imminent, transformative, and often violent end of the world. He demonstrated how these ancient apocalyptic expectations fueled popular religious and social movements, providing a framework for understanding utopian aspirations that often devolved into destructive fanaticism. These beliefs offered a vision of cosmic struggle and ultimate purification.
Scapegoating and Conspiracy Theories
Cohn's analysis of the Great European witch-hunt in Europe's Inner Demons and his examination of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in Warrant for Genocide underscore his profound insight into the mechanisms of scapegoating. He showed how fabricated conspiracy theories, such as the Protocols, could serve as powerful justifications for mass violence by creating an imagined enemy responsible for societal ills. This research provided critical historical context for understanding the psychological underpinnings of genocide.
Collective Myths and Psychopathology
As noted by Anthony Storr, Cohn dedicated his career to exploring "the collective myths that underpin the assumptions, prejudices and beliefs which shake and shape human societies."[3] He recognized that understanding history required delving into the often irrational, deeply ingrained beliefs and psychological patterns that drive collective behavior, particularly in times of social upheaval or crisis.
Enduring Influence
Impact on Scholarship
Norman Cohn's rigorous scholarship and unique perspective have left an indelible mark on multiple academic disciplines. His work has profoundly influenced generations of historians, philosophers, and social scientists. Scholars such as Stuart Clark, Michael Burleigh, Daniel Pick, Pierre-Andrรฉ Taguieff, and John Gray have explicitly acknowledged their intellectual debt to Cohn's foundational research on extremism, persecution, and apocalyptic thought.
Recognition and Acclaim
His contributions were recognized with his election as a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), a distinction nominated by the esteemed philosopher Isaiah Berlin.[2] Furthermore, his seminal work, The Pursuit of the Millennium, was honored by inclusion in a survey of the 100 most influential books of the 20th century by The Times Literary Supplement.[7] His insights continue to resonate in contemporary discussions about political extremism, conspiracy theories, and the historical roots of violence.
Literary Resonance
Beyond academia, Cohn's explorations of collective myths and the darker psychological underpinnings of societal behavior have also captured the imagination of novelists, including William Gibson and Ian McEwan, demonstrating the broad reach and profound relevance of his historical inquiries.
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References
References
- Professor Norman Cohn obituary, at telegraph.co.uk dated 3 August 2007.
- "The hundred most influential books since the war" in The Times Literary Supplement, 6 October 1995, p. 39.
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