Researchers are investigating the long-neglected phenomenon of local chronicles - with the aim of shedding new light on the confrontation with National Socialism. An interview with the two project leaders Dietmar von Reeken and Malte Thießen.
QUESTION: Why are you taking on local chronicles of all things?
THIESSEN: We want to bring a new focus to the examination of National Socialism. For example, by looking at the debate "on the ground". Until now, research has mainly focussed on the national and regional level when it comes to "coming to terms with the past" or the historical culture of National Socialism.
QUESTION: In contrast, what can be traced in the local chronicles?
VON REEKEN: For example, which images and ideas of history circulate in small communities and how the confrontation with National Socialism contributes to the creation of identity in small towns - or jeopardises it. We also learn something about how history is dealt with in rural areas, which have hardly played a role in research to date. In addition, we want to examine local chronicles from a comparative perspective - from all over Germany and the GDR, in order to show the differences and similarities in dealing with National Socialism.
QUESTION: Can the chronicle of a small village, for example, shed light on the history of National Socialism?
THIESSEN: It is precisely the seemingly banal account of a village that says a great deal about the power of history for our present. This is because the social function of writing history can be observed here as if under a magnifying glass: Who or what has their say in the report, which people and events are placed at the centre, which are concealed? What "lessons" and messages do the authors want to convey to the readers of the chronicle, for example to emphasise the current significance of the village or the current importance of shared values?
QUESTION: In the 1970s, the genre of village chronicles experienced a real boom. How do you explain this?
VON REEKEN: This boom has various roots, which we will explore in more detail at the end of project. On the one hand, there is the boom in "everyday history", with many "barefoot historians" setting out to investigate the history of their town or neighbourhood. On the other hand, it is worth asking to what extent the profound structural change in society at this time increased the need to create identity in rural regions, among others: it is possible that local chronicles were an attempt to bring a little order to the turbulent present through historical references.
QUESTION: Do you also look at the history of the creation of the local chronicles themselves?
THIESSEN: Yes, we would like to take a closer look at whether the boom in the 1970s had completely different causes. We are therefore also tracing possible precursors of local chronicles in the local history movement.
QUESTION: The field of local chronicles is clearly very diverse. What criteria do you use to narrow it down?
THIESSEN: First of all, we systematically analyse local chronicles in Lower Saxony. On this basis, we will then look at other German regions. We will then analyse several selected case studies in greater depth, focussing primarily on the creation of the chronicles on site and in everyday life, i.e. on social practice.
QUESTION: Have local chronicles played a role in historical research on National Socialism to date?
VON REEKEN: At best, only in the margins of individual studies. We are therefore filling a gap in research - and see our project as a pioneering study and a plea for greater attention to be paid to the Nazi debate "on the ground". Previous studies, for example analysing speeches by federal presidents or well-known monuments and memorials, can say little about how the Nazi debate is actually received "down below" - and how Nazi history is interpreted on a small scale.
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INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT
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"Leaving history in the village - National Socialism in German local chronicles" is a two-year research project of the Centre for Regional Cultures of History. Cooperation partners include the Universities of Göttingen and Hanover, the Research Centre for Contemporary History in Hamburg, the Institute for Contemporary and Regional History Schleswig and the Foundation of Lower Saxony Memorials. Funded by: PRO* Lower Saxony research programme of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture.