Vom wendischen Notschrei und von sorbischen Kultur-Hochburgen. Nutzungen und Aneignungen kulturellen Erbes im wendländischen und Lausitzer Protest

Abstract

On the Wendish Cry of Distress and the Sorbian Cultural Strongholds. The Harnessing and Appropriation of Cultural Heritage in the Protest Movements in Wendland and Lusatia

The socio-cultural process of cultural heritage is always linked to power dynamics and participation, according to the findings of contemporary heritage studies. Because cultural heritage represents an extremely influential discourse, in which our perception and reception of the past is negotiated, particular importance is attributed to the negotiation of collective ‘identities’. It can be and is used to achieve political participation. This article examines how cultural heritage is used as a means of bringing about civil protest and which historical, and contemporary, circumstances influence this harnessing of the heritage. Using selected examples from anti-nuclear protests in the Wendland and those against the destruction of villages because of open-cast mining for lignite in Lusatia, comparisons are made as to how much strategic value is put on the Slavic history of both regions.