Dybbøl 2014 Constructing Familiarity by Remembrance? Martin Klatt, PhD. Associate Professor Dept....
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Transcript of Dybbøl 2014 Constructing Familiarity by Remembrance? Martin Klatt, PhD. Associate Professor Dept....
Dybbøl 2014Constructing Familiarity by
Remembrance?
Martin Klatt, PhD.Associate Professor
Dept. of Border Region StudiesSønderborg
(Un)Familiarity – living together
Spierings, Bas, and Martin van der Velde. 2008. Shopping, Borders and Unfamiliarity: Consumer Mobility in Europe. Journal for Economic and Social Geography 99 (4): 497-505.
Applicability – and methodological problems
Most studies divide a borderland’s population into two national populations – including ”national minorities”*
This does not necessarily reflect the situation correctly: ”regionalism” and indifference ”transnational borderlanders” (Martinez),
”regionauts” (Löfgren, O’Dell), ”border surfers” (Terlouw)
A border region’s population is more complicated and less clearly to identify
Social practices!!*Andersen, Dorte Jagetić. "Do If You Dare: Reflections on (Un)Familiarity, Identity-Formation and Ontological Politics." Journal of Borderlands Studies 29, no. 3 (2014): 327-37.
Border of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until 1864
The Danish-German border region
Population
”Danes”, ”Germans”, ”Danish minority”, ”Deutsche Volksgruppe” = is it that simple?
Result of nationalisation during the 19th and 20th centuries
Regional identity – ”Die Dänen sind uns näher als die Bayern” – ”Northern Germans are more like Scandinavians than Southern Germans”
Blurred identity within the so-called minorities – which are socially integrated and thus very open groups
So, are they living together?
The war of 1864 Denmark won the 1848-50 Schleswig-Holstein
war of independence, but only to recover the status quo ante bellum
In November 1863, Denmark passed a new constitution to be valid in the Kingdom and Schleswig, a breach of the 1852 London protocol (peace agreement)
Bismarck sees his opportunity to fight a war against Denmark (officially as executor of the German Confederation)
On 18 April 1864, the storm of the Dybbøl fortification is the first decisive Danish defeat. The battle is later heroified in Danish historical narratives.
After the taking of Als in June 1864, Denmark lost Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia
Dybbøl mystified
The battle is mystified as a glorious defeat and plays a central role in Denmark’s narrative as a small state, deceived by Europe in the face of German aggression
1990’s: German politicians antichambered for a reconciliation gesture at the annual festivities (as with France at Verdun)
2001: first participation of a German delegation at the Dybbøl festivities
2014: the 150th anniversary of the battle is celebrated and used as a symbol for reconciliation, innovation and growth – but also a renaissance of historicizing (10 h TV series, books…)
Euroregion Schleswig – nej tak
”Back to the happy 400 years of common history” – this quote by Flensburg mayor Dielewicz was not welcomed by all
Euroregion as a German project, German expansionism
Two contradicting narratives on the region’s common history: Op ewig ungedeelt – the 1920-border as a scar
of history Et røvet barn – 1920 as reunification of Danish
Southern Jutland with the motherland
The Dybbøl 2014 Project http://www.dybboel2014.dk/ - NB the map…. Past, present and the future! Partners: Region South Denmark, Schleswig-
Holstein, Chamber of Industry and Commerce Flensburg, Southern Jutland Development Council
Focus: growth by culture: ”Die neue deutsch-dänische Geschichte hat bereits begonnen und wird 2014 ihren ersten Höhepunkt erleben, wenn die deutsch-dänische Jugend, Kultur und Wirtschaft sich grenzüberschreitend begegnen, um die gegenwärtige Zusammenarbeit zu feiern – und sie für die Zukunft weiter auszubauen. Denn nur zusammen können wir unser gemeinsames Ziel erreichen: unsere Grenzregion zu einer Wachstumsregion werden zu lassen.”
Peace building?
Narrative connected with the minority situation
Applied on the people-to-people activities
Familiarity?
Poll in 2012 (Region South Denmark, 1,000 people north and south of the border) 75% agreed at least ”somewhat”: regional
Germans and Danes have much in common 75% did not have family or friends on the other
side of the border So how do they know?
Project jUNG zuSAMMEN
http://www.dybboel2014.dk/om-projektet/ungdomsmoede/httpwwwdybboel2014dkjungzusammen
Young people from the border region (18-25), to discuss the region’s future
”Wir rennen offene Türen ein” (one of the leaders) Attracting those that already have a
transnational borderlander identity (many minority youths)
(Un)Familiarity – applicable?
Spierings, Bas, and Martin van der Velde. 2008. Shopping, Borders and Unfamiliarity: Consumer Mobility in Europe. Journal for Economic and Social Geography 99 (4): 497-505.
Emotional differences not too big for social interaction
Rational differences big enough to make social interaction interesting
Bandwidth of familiarity
Keeping in mind: Few in-depth social contacts (family and
friends) Low integration of the labour market Clichés about the ”other” Language barrier (at least Germans to Danes)
Dybbøl 2014 – an appropriate project?
Very Danish: activities… http://www.dybboel2014.dk/
Connection between history and economic growth is not convincing
People to people: reaching out to Danes – and the usual suspects (transnational borderlanders)