CULTURAL IDENTITY ACROSS THE BORDER

Transcription

1 BORDERLAND: BORDER LANDSCAPE ACROSS EUROPE CULTURAL IDENTITY ACROSS THE BORDER Christian Budach Patrycja Bernacka Maria Parella Martí Słubice Robert Hospital Gasau Heini Korpinen Atte Saastamoinen

2 CONTENT 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical background 2.1 Cultural identity 2.2 Cultural landscape 2.3 Border and borderland 3 History of the borderline 3.1 Before the Second World War 3.2 After the Second World War 3.3 Nowadays (relationship of borderland cities) 4 Culture and customs in Germany and Poland 5 Data and methods 6 Results and discussion 6.1 Słubice People and projects in Słubice Mentality and daily culture in Słubice 6.2 Frankfurt (Oder) Results of the interviews with citizens of Frankfurt (Oder) 7 Conclusion References Image: Maria Parella Martí

3 1 INTRODUCTION Main aims of our research: 1. Answer the question: what is cultural identity in the borderland? 2. Compare people s cultrural identity from both sides of German-Polish border 3. How the cultural identity is exposed by inhabitants of Frankfurt (Oder) - Słubice?

4 1 INTRODUCTION Research area Frankfurt (Oder) - Słubice people in Frankfurt an der Oder and people in Słubice divided by the borderline which marks cultural differences

5 1 INTRODUCTION Research area Map of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. Aerial photo of our research area. Sources: OpenstreetMap,Google Maps

6 2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 Cultural identity 2.2 Cultural landscape 2.3 Border and borderland Image: Maria Parella Martí

7 2.1 CULTURAL IDENTITY People s sense of themselves and how they relate others Also a common identity of groups of people who share common territory, language or normative system. Formed through the socialization process Influence of social institutions like the family, the education system and the mass media. Cultural identity is also a meeting point of several cross-cultural implications.

8 2.2 CULTURAL LANDSCAPE Multiple meanings and definitions because each person perceive the landscape differently. Landscape is never a simply natural space, because landscapes reflects also a human activity and are connected to cultural values. Image: Maria Parella Martí

9 2.2 DEFINITIONS OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPE A cultural landscape is fashioned from a natural landscape by a culture group. Culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium. The cultural landscape the result. (Sauer, 1963). The World Heritage Committee defines the cultural landscape as a cultural properties that represent the combined works of nature and of man.

10 2.3 BORDER AND BORDERLAND Borders can be considered for example as institutions and physical or cultural barriers. Borders always create differences between people living on each side of the border, leading to the experiencing of differences and separate identities. The borderland is the region or area in close to the border within which the dynamics of change and daily life practices are affected by the essence of the border.

11 3 DATA AND METHODS Interviews: 20 interviews in the city centers of Frankfurt (Oder) - Słubice about people s cultural identity (10 from Słubice, 10 from Frankfurt (Oder)) 24 questions 14 women and 6 men. Lectures and articles Photos After the interviews, we analyzed the results and made conclusions. In the conclusion we answer how cultural identity is exposed by inhabitants from Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice.

12 4 HISTORY OF THE GERMAN POLISH BORDERLINE 4.1 Before the Second World War 4.2 After the Second World War 4.3 Nowadays (relationship of the bordeline cities)

13 4.1 BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice were completely in German territory. Poland wanted to recover this territory because his inhabitants were ethnically Polish. Periods of good and bad relationships between the two states. 1st September of 1939 Germany invade Poland.

14 4.2 AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR After the Yalta and Postdam Conferences (1945) the new German-Polish borderline was the Oder-Neisse line. Almost all Germans from Poland were deported to the new Germany. Disagreement from Germany to the new borderline. Polish fear from a German militar offensive and 1970: Treaty agreements of recognision of the Oder-Neisse borderline from Germany.

15 4.2 AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR BORDERLINE EVOLUTION MAP

16 4.3 NOWADAYS (RELATIONSHIP OF BORDERLINE CITIES) Oder-Neisse bordeline made appear some divided cities like Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice Treaty of Zgorzeleg established the irrevocable nature of the new borderline. Communist system banned any change between the border was established the passport and free-visa travel. In benefits of post-commnism era, in the 90 s the borderline relations became more permeable and active.

17 5 CULTURE AND CUSTOMS IN GERMANY AND POLAND In the Poland side the people are more religious than in the German part so this is maybe the most important difference between the two states. The most important celebrations related to Christian religions are Christmas and Easter, and they are the most important days in Poland and German too. In Poland 95 % of the population belongs to the Catholic Church. In Germany number is about 30 %. Border provides of cultural diversity in the borderline that it is possibly one of the main characteristics of the open border zones.

18 6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 6.1 Słubice People and projects in Słubice Mentality and daily culture in Słubice 6.2 Frankfurt (Oder) Results of the interviews with citizens of Frankfurt (Oder)

19 6.1.1 PEOPLE AND PROJECTS IN SŁUBICE Residents of Słubice willingly use every new facilities, possibilities and mostly their feelings about all projects are positive. Huge difference how the authorities and casual inhabitants think about the projects. For citizens, there is no difference that all changes are organised and finalised by government or European project. Images: Maria Parella Martí Collegium Polonicum in Słubice Europa Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder)

20 6.1.1 PEOPLE AND PROJECTS IN SŁUBICE If it is about projects related to integration between Frankfurt Oder s and Słubice s inhabitants, the most interested groups are teenagers, students and pensioners. Teens are eager to participate in every project like for example common trips, meetings, teamwork etc. There is also no problem for them to have contact with German students. Elder people, like pensioners are also open to participate in multi- cultural activities.

21 6.1.2 MENTALITY AND DAILY CULTURE IN SŁUBICE Majority of Słubice s inhabitants thinks, that living here is completely the same like living in different part of Poland. They do not identify their selves with this trans- border region but mostly with the place where they comes fromtheir home cities, countries. The biggest cultural benefit thanks to living in this special region is that people are more tolerance and meeting foreigners is natural for them.

22 6.1.2 MENTALITY AND DAILY CULTURE IN SŁUBICE Słubice s inhabitants can t feel that their cultural identity is losing something In their view, polish culture do not mix with the German one and the German one have no any influence on Polish culture. Park in Słubice. Image: Patrycja Bernacka

23 6.2.1 RESULTS OF THE INTERVIEWS WITH CITIZENS OF FRANKFURT (ODER) Positive attitude towards Słubice, Frankfurt, their cooperations and inhabitants Open-minded towards Polish people Want to overcome communications obstacles Want to get to know each other better, grow together Image: Maria Parella Martí

24 6.2.1 RESULTS OF THE INTERVIEWS WITH CITIZENS OF FRANKFURT (ODER) Visiting Słubice more or less frequently for: Shopping Going out for a meal Refuel the car Going to the hairdresser Buying cigarettes Mainly because of differences in prices

25 6.2.1 RESULTS OF THE INTERVIEWS WITH CITIZENS OF FRANKFURT (ODER) People mostly identify with Frankfurt or border region Like living there Like the cultural offerings of Frankfurt Important facts: Social contacts: younger people Attractiveness of the town and culture: people > 25 years Location of Frankfurt in border region

26 6.2.1 RESULTS OF THE INTERVIEWS WITH CITIZENS OF FRANKFURT (ODER) Coalescence of both cities and inhabtiants will be more important in the future Intercultural exchange and integration has high significance Important for future generations Cooperation between both cities very important

27 7 CONCLUSION Positive attitudes on both sides of the Oder Language barrier is main obstacle of better integration Only four people in town hall of Frankfurt speak Polish (oral information; Sören Bollmann, ) Cooperation on governmental, cultural and social level very important Cultural benefits Improve exchange

28 7 CONCLUSION No common identification with the region Border is one special feature for living in this region Important in the future: Growing together of cities and inhabitants Stronger interactions Overcome language obstacles Maybe stronger identification with border region

29 REFERENCES Besier, Gerhard (2012). German-Polish neighbourhood relations on the shared border: an ambiguous story. In Katajala, Kimmo & Maria Lähteenmäki (eds.) Imagined, Negotiated, Remembered: Constructing European Borders and Borderlands, Mittel- und Ostmitteleuropastudien, Brym, Michelle Janet, "The Integration of European Union Borderlands: Polish Views on Cross-Border Mobility and Cooperation Across the Polish- German Border. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, Hall, S., Held, D., Hubert, D. & Thompson, K. (editors) (1996). Modernity. An introduction to modern societies. Blackwell Publishers Inc, Oxford. Jackson, B., Discovering the Vernacular Landscape (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984), Janczak, J. (2007). Europeanization of Trans-border Communities. The Polish-German Case. In Jaroslaw Janczak (ed.) Rediscovering Europe: Political Changes in the 21st century EU, Institute of Political Science and Journalism. AMU, Poznan. Newman, D. (2003): On Borders and Power: A Theoretical Framework. Journal of Borderlands Studies,18:1, Newman, D. and A. Paasi (1998). Fences and neighbours in the postmodern world. Progress in Human Geography 22:2, Palang, Hannes and Gary Fry (eds.) (2003). Landscape Interfaces - Cultural Heritage in Changing Landscapes. Landscape series 1. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Sauer, Carl. ' The Morphology of Landscape', in Landand Life: A Selection from the writings of Carl Ortwin Sauer, ed. by J. Leighly (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1963), Skulj,J. (2000) Comparative Literature and Cultural Identity, CLCWeb, Volume 2: Issue 4 December 2000, Article 5. Stokłosa, K. (2012). Neighborhood Relations on the Polish Borders: The Example of the Polish German, Polish Ukrainian and Polish Russian Border Regions, Journal of Borderlands Studies, 27:3, UNESCO (2012) Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention [1]. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Paris. Page 14. Walz, U. (2011): Landscape Structure, Landscape Metrics and Biodiversity. Living Rev. Landscape Res. 5:3, online article.

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