Psychedelic Fears. Drug Use as an Emotional Practice in West Germany around 1970

Abstract

Drug History: this article studies psychedelic drug use and consumption in the Federal Republic of Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Using ideas from the History of Emotions and Practice Theory, it offers a fresh look into the making of drug experiences. Doing drugs is analysed as a technology of the self that sought to marshal some feelings while avoiding others. Preparations were as much part of these emotional practices as recognizing and cultivating emotions, or trying to put the...