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…)

The Shadows of 1864

”Der må være en grænse!”May 1997

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)

Living together – or living apart?

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)

Policy relevance (EU)

People to people – or growth? Links are not convincing Growth because of (and not in spite of) the

border Differentials Border shopping/trade Border surfing