Black Sun (Goodrick-Clarke book)

Black Sun

Cover of the first edition
Author	Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
Language	English
Subject	Esoteric Neo-Nazism
Publisher	New York University Press
Publication date	August 2001
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	371
ISBN	0-8147-3124-4
OCLC	47665567
Dewey Decimal	320.53
LC Class	JC481 .G567 2002

Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism and the Politics of Identity is a book by English historian Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. It was published by New York University Press in August 2001. A successor to Goodrick-Clarke's 1985 book The Occult Roots of Nazism, which focused on the influence of occult movements on Nazi Germany, it examines post-war esoteric neo-Nazism and related topics in a similar fashion, profiling many of its manifestations.

It was originally intended as a sequel to The Occult Roots of Nazism, but in the course of writing it its scope expanded further. Among the topics covered are the histories of American and British neo-Nazism, various figures associated with neo-Nazism and esoteric neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi satanism, neo-Nazi music, and belief in Nazi UFOs and other conspiracies. Black Sun received praise for its research, writing style, and the amount of information it provided on its subject matter, which several reviewers found discomforting.

Summary

The book uses the Nazi occultism covered in Goodrick-Clarke's 1985 book The Occult Roots of Nazism to trace similar phenomena in the post-war West. Beginning with American neo-Nazism and its history, it discusses the historical intersections between modern far-right groups and esoteric religion. Instances of movements or groups surveyed include American and British neo-Nazism, George Lincoln Rockwell, the writings of Julius Evola and Francis Parker Yockey, Savitri Devi's and Miguel Serrano's esoteric neo-Nazism, belief in Nazi UFOs and other conspiracies, National Socialist black metal and White Noise music, neo-Nazi satanism, Christian Identity, the World Church of the Creator and Nordic Racial Paganism.

According to the author, movements with such interests are particularly prevalent in the English-speaking world. Because the occultism found in the SS can be traced to Ariosophy, which emerged from the völkisch movement, Goodrick-Clarke coins the term "neo-völkisch" for the groups he covers in the book. These groups are defined by their concern with white identity, and in many cases take interest in esoteric ideas of Aryan origins and occultism. The eponymous Black Sun is a symbol prominent in this movement, as a magical source of power.

Goodrick-Clarke draws a parallel between the conditions in early 20th century Austria, which had formed the racist occultist group Arisophy that he profiled in his first book, to the conditions in the West that formed the modern fringe neo-Nazi movements. He says that a key difference between these two categories is that the older movements were specifically German nationalist in ideology, while the modern movements have instead shifted into a global idea of white supremacy without specific ethnic ties, arguing that "it is highly significant that the Aryan cult of white identity is now most marked in the United States". He says that "from the retrospective viewpoint of a potential authoritarian future in 2020 or 2030, these Aryan cults and esoteric Nazism may be documented as early symptoms of major divisive changes in our present-day Western democracies".

Publication history

Black Sun was published by New York University Press in August 2001. Its author, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, is an English historian with a specialty in the relationship between occultism and Nazism. Its first edition was 371 pages, with illustrations.

It is a successor to Goodrick-Clarke's earlier book The Occult Roots of Nazism, which focused on the influence of occult movements on the ideology of the original Nazi movement. The Occult Roots of Nazism was widely praised and was highly influential in its field; Black Sun was originally intended as a sequel to that book, but in the course of its writing its scope expanded beyond the original work. It is based largely on writings from the movements profiled as well as from then-modern group members.

Reception

Black Sun was received positively by reviewers, many of whom noted its importance as a work. Several reviewers also found it disturbing or troubling. Publishers Weekly complimented the book aa "comprehensive inquiry" which "adds to our knowledge of the broad, frightening tentacles of Nazi ideology", while Stephen L. Hupp of the Library Journal said it was "disturbing" and that it "presents a troubling picture of the mindset of the modern Far Right", recommending it to all libraries. Bill Saunders, writing for the British newspaper The Independent, said Black Sun "makes uncomfortable reading for anyone who has so much as flirted with romantic anti-modernism. Like a hypochondriac going through a medical dictionary, many readers will want to put the book aside from time to time to metaphorically examine their tongues in the mirror for signs of spots." Joseph P. Szimhart of Cultic Studies Review commented that the book "left me a little uneasy [...] I find it disturbing to learn that so many hate groups thrive today"; he said the book's main point was that there is "a persistent dark or shadow side of our humanity that, for whatever reason, chooses to destroy what it dislikes rather than attempt to resolve the differences".

Karis Muller writing for The European Legacy praised it as a "a meticulously researched, serious work with excellent illustrations", and historian Joachim Whaley writing for the Journal of European Studies called it an "excellent" book that "provides a lucid and often chilling guide" to the far-right. Martin A. Lee, reviewing the book for the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report, praised the book's information and Goodrick-Clarke's "engaging and accessible style", and called the book "a timely warning, indeed". Bill Saunders said it was "impossible to do justice here to the immense amount of research that has gone into Black Sun" and "nevertheless [...] a reminder of how dangerous a lack of irony can be, and a reminder to those of us who have it to take those who don't more seriously." Szimhart praised the book as a "compelling read" and for weaving "in and out of occult beliefs and myths without falling prey to exaggeration or fascination", but said he " found too much information to digest at one read, despite my familiarity with the topic".

Muller noted the absence of mention of Der Mann, der Hitler die Ideen gab, what he called the "seminal work" on Hitler's occult beliefs. He said given the book's concentration on Anglo-American movements it did "not ask why the Anglo Saxons seem particularly prone to such ravings", but said that the book may be merely biased towards what Goodrick-Clarke was specialized in. Alternatively, D. A. Harvey writing for Choice argued its "international dimension" was its greatest strength, and recommended Black Sun, further praising its writing and scope. Whaley said the comparison between these modern groups and the ones in pre-1914 Austria could be seen as "rather sensationalist" due to their lack of power, though described it as "intriguing", while Harvey said this comparison was "highly provocative". Whaley argued that "whether or not the 'Black Sun' manages to destroy [the democratic] system in the next few decades, Goodrick-Clarke is surely right to insist that we need to understand its enduring magnetism." Publishers Weekly said the book did not properly evaluate whether such groups, now fringe, had the potential for atrocities.

The book's explanation of Adolf Hitler's continued appeal for these movements was singled out for praise by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Harvey commented that Goodrick-Clarke's predictions of a Nazi resurgence could be seen as alarmist, and criticized his blame of affirmative action, high rates of immigration and liberal elites for the rise of these movements as "singularly inappropriate". Saunders said Goodrick-Clarke took a "right-wing liberal view" about the reasons for the movements' appeal to some, that "in a de-skilled white working-class, who feel threatened and angry over immigration, and the supposed favouritism that a left-wing establishment extends to immigrants", but argued that this did not match up with the individuals profiled in the book, who were largely "prosperous"; Carol Ann Traut deemed his ideas on what led to the rise of these groups "perhaps not original but well worth repeating", and Black Sun "a thorough examination of neo-Nazi extremist group development in the United States through the twentieth century". Saunders also criticized the book for not providing guidance on answering many of the questions its content raised.