Socialist Storms. Ideological Struggles in Sorbian Texts

Abstract

Socialist Storms. Ideological Struggles in Sorbian Texts

Residing in their territorial homeland in post-socialist Eastern Germany, Sorbs have occupied subordinated positions in the shifting socio-political contexts. Through a textual analysis of socialist sources, I will demonstrate how Sorbian authors have constructed ideological frameworks according to the demands of the moment. In this article, I focus on the socialist-era national narrative that championed Sorbian language and culture, while recounting socio-political adversities. Sorbs, as bilingual socialist citizens of the German Democratic Republic, experienced multi-faceted dilemmas. During socialism (1945–1989) Marxist policies supported the Sorbian language and yet restricted linguistic practices. Adjusting to the inconsistent policies, socialist authors narrated ideological struggles that resonate with current conditions for Sorbs in the European Union.