29 years ago the Berlin wall fell, and since 1990, Germany is again one country. About 83 million people live here – “Original inhabitants”, the newly arrived, migrants. You can classify and your characters?
Westphalia are stubborn and taciturn, some people claim. A suitable joke can confirm this, as Dagmar Hänel with a wink: “Is a Westphalian by Cologne. On his shoulder is a parrot sitting. A Cologne comes to him and asks: ‘Can speak?’ Back asks the parrot: ‘how should I know.’?”
Countless of such jokes circulate in the 16 Federal States of Germany on the other. People everywhere can not be attributed only in this way, a set of properties that you place in character, classify and to categorize. Not only the Westphalia, but also in the North of Germany are supposed to be stubborn, Bayern rather gross nature, the Swabians are industrious and economical, and the Rhine countries, particularly cheerful and open-minded, Sachsen extremely self-confident. But is it really true? And how those people are to characterize the came from all over the world, in order to find a new home?
Exactly for such questions, Dr. Dagmar Hänel (b. 1969) is an expert in. She is the head of folklore at the LVR-Institute for regional studies and regional history in Bonn.
Dr. Dagmar Hänel
DW: Mrs Hänel, have the people in the 16 States actually still own species that you can only find in your Region? Own species, then all have, and which are clearly unique to a Region?
There is not, because Stereotypes are always generalizations. That is to say: It closes a few, and sometimes even from individual cases on all of them. Example: The Saxons, alone, because at least 50 percent of the people in Saxony are women.
The Saxon is also not of the extreme right, just because in the past in Saxony, more and more people are noticed with politically right-wing views in the negative. As we remember way approach, how these Stereotypes work, because it generalizes, and creates images. These images, for example, of a group, have an incredible Impact.
There are also “antique” the images?
“Berlin is wearing a kippah” – a solidarity between Jews and Non-Jews at the end of April 2018
Some of these pictures are very old that we carry around since 200, 300, 400 years with us. Some change over time, but can be because they’re so powerful and deep in our cultural memory, quickly re-enabled and functioning again. If we look at, for example, anti-Semitic Stereotypes, then the extremely fast are re-activated, as we see currently in the social discourse.
Can you generalize so own species nowhere else in Germany?
No, you can’t generalize in Germany and nowhere else in the world, because people are individuals and very different. Of course, we all live in a specific cultural context that creates a certain framing, but nonetheless, each Individual operates very individually. And to generalise is very difficult. You would let yourself not like to generalize, I the but a matter of course everywhere else.
Why do we do this?
We do this because it works so well and because it is this very complex world for the Moment, a piece more manageable. If I’m out on the highway and in front of me, the funny small cars, kind of weird, I feel confirmed, perhaps my stereotype of the “woman at the wheel”.
Women – not really the worse drivers
These Stereotypes work, and make our everyday lives more manageable, manageable. You, however, are often the basis of decisions. And if you are not always aware that these Stereotypical images and constructions are, therefore, not the reality, then the Whole bias moves in the direction of. And then these Stereotypes can be very dangerous.
I’m from the Rhineland, I also like the Rhine countries, because I mean, to live in a beautiful home. Therefore, I believe that there is, in many regions Local to a regional identity. How do you see that?.
Yes, that’s right. That is the positive side of the stereo types that, for example, in the regions or in the cities, the image of himself, the Auto-stereotype is often very positive. This is something with which you might identify. It is one of them. It is one of these, if you go to the carnival to celebrate, or if it goes in the village to protect, because you meet people, you know. It comes into the conversation, in an exchange. This is the communicative of the Positive, what these regional identities, the Auto-Stereotypes are very important.
How is that for you personally?
Women’s carnival and Mardi Gras to party in the shadow of the Cologne Cathedral
I come from Westphalia, am here wandered in the Rhineland, a Stranger. But by identity-solid, such as, for example, the carnival, by means of certain forms of neighborhood you come in in the Region in the company, ran to the people and then. This is a piece of a Region, a city, a town, and makes himself a part of.
You can say, then, that there are the traditions that form a Region’s identity?
Traditions have exactly this feature, that you are to be identity. It is always a question: Who thought of that? Because, of course, this is not easy, but it always arises in a particular historical context.
What we see today as the identity of the pen Tradition, the Oktoberfest in Munich, the traditional Costume in Bavaria, the carnival in the Rhineland – are the festivals, especially in the 19th century. Century have emerged in a context of the emerging Nation. Since it is very clear, therefore, to provide Identity services for the people to identify themselves in a larger collective positive.
Oktoberfest is a colorful Goings-on under a blue and white sky
Now there is in Germany also a strong internal migration. People from structurally weak areas to commute during the week there where a lot of work. After the unification of Germany in 1990, there is a strong migration from the East to the West. To what extent is something so formative?
These migration movements to change society at different levels. Migrants not only come out as “blank sheets” in a new living environment. Each of us carries an invisible “cultural backpack”. That is the what we have learned in our Childhood, traditions, festivals, language, food is about the same.
And this list shows that these are exactly those points, which are then also incredible for stereotyping. On the one hand negative, on the other hand, but also have a positive effect. The regional or national cuisine, for example, can work as identity anchor. The each of us, no matter where we come from. It is always the question of how we, in individual cases, this cultural baggage into the new society or not contribute.
Currently, the Migration of foreigners in Germany will be discussed. How can acclimate someone culturally, comes from abroad?
Common language allows for a fertile exchange
It is essential that immigrants learn first the German language. Language competence has a key function for all areas of life. The Acclimate does not always work there, where people, foreigners and Locals come together to have conversations where they talk over differences, where there is no threat scenarios can be constructed.
Harder it will hang in such a Together, where the Locals are susceptible to fear – or threat scenarios, which will be established via policy or via some media, and partially staged. Crisis situations are always situations where people are vulnerable, vulnerable, insecure and, therefore, for such fear scenarios more prone to.
A Migrant can, a war refugee, only then happy, when he unpacks most of his cultural backpack?
No, I think you can maintain a whole piece of its cultural identity. I think this is a very reflective process, where you sit down alone with this backpack and search him: What is this, what is really important to me? What is this, what do I need? And that, I think it does, again and again – it cleans and puts new things into the backpack. Is not static, but is changeable, even in the current situations is variable. I don’t think it is necessary to leave his past completely behind, but I believe that you can contribute in a constructive way.
We come again to the German: Is there a characterization that applies to all, or almost all?
Positive culture of remembrance: the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin
I think Germany has become a true Tradition with regard to democracy and the culture of remembrance. This is what distinguishes us from the other European countries. We are Democrats, we are Europeans and we maintain a very regular basis is a good Form of cultural memory in relation to the very painful Chapter of the national socialist reign of violence. The does the largest part of our society with great certainty, and I’m personally very proud of.
Have you given this knowledge, less fear, if you look at some of the rights and extreme right-wing currents that are currently trying to break?
Of course it scares me to see these currents, especially under the perspective of the stereotypes, and the scientific exploration of these stereotypes. It happens, is exactly what we scientists know, that the symbols whose images are very, very, very quickly re-activated. That happened in my own country, even touches me emotionally.
Under the Motto “We are more” to demonstrate at the beginning of September 2018 in Chemnitz, Germany, 65 000 people against racism and xenophobia
They are still good things that the democratic understanding of the majority as a counter-weight is stronger?
Yes, I think, for example, the activities, the run to Chemnitz online under the Hashtag “#wearen more”, is very important. The right-wing currents and parties are a very loud minority, but a minority. And to enable the majority to activate in your awareness that we have a democracy, which is something very valuable.
The Interview was conducted by Klaus Krämer.