Is Wahlheimat a better option than Heimat?

By Alyssa Baglia

Further digging into the topic of Heimat, I found an article titled “Does Every Language Need a Word for Heimat?”. In reading this article I was able to grasp a little more clear what the definition of Heimat actually is to a German citizen. The article was written by Margit Grobbel, a resident of Munich. In the article, Grobbel talks about what Heimat is and what it means to her slightly. Heimat often is translated to home, it comes from a Sanskrit word meaning “to dwell” or “to stay”. The word is now used as a gimmick the article states, that it is used to sell touristy things to people just visiting that have no concept of what the average German is like in the present day. The shops marketed at this idea of Heimat usually consist of what the stereotypes of German people are, according to Grobble. She gives the example of antler horns being sold, a few times, a popular decoration in the 1950s but not so much anymore.
The word was very popular in the 1950s and the decades surrounding that, it was a popular genre of movies and cookbooks and decorations. Since then people have expanded, moving out of the same town that their entire families had grown up in. People started moving as adults, migrating their traditional roots. With this piece of information, Grobble begins to question what a Heimat would be now, for these people. I think that this question is fair, what would the sense of home and roots be to a person who doesn’t have one?

Another issue with the word Heimat that Grobble points out is that the word is often seen as one of bigotry. Margit Grobbel describes it in her article as “It can be provincial, narrow-minded, or exclusionary. It may also imply protecting your home from something scary — or just from someone else: those who are not ‘from here’ “. In a different article, I found a quote by sociologist Armin Nassehi describing Heimat as "wherever you can be without having to justify yourself being there". I think that this is a particularly controversial definition of the word, this view being one that is making the word have a bad rep. I do not think that a human should have to justify why they are somewhere, especially if it is their proclaimed home. The idea of having to justify the roots or circumstances that tie you to a place or culture is one of the problems with using the word Heimat. The word has ties to everything from the physical location you come from to the culture and traditions you practice. At the end of the article "Does Every Language Need a Word for Heimat?" Margit Gobble suggests instead of trying to translate the word Heimat, instead use "Wahlheimat", which translates to "the home you chose". I think that Wahlheimat accounts for the diversity that is seen around the world more and more. It grants us the power to choose where we are from, not just a geographical boundary. As someone that grew up in a different state than I live in right now, I like to think that I get to pick Ohio as my home, my Wahlheimat, instead of Florida. Simply based on my traditions and where my family originates, I am much more from Ohio than Florida. I like that Wahlheimat gives the power to choose to everyone.

Here are the articles I read and thought about writing this piece:

https://www.internations.org/magazine/does-every-language-need-a-word-for-heimat-39271

https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/en/germany/culture/heimat-home-germany-armin-nassehi/

Heimat and the Homeland

            This week, a lot of our conversation in the classroom centered around the complex history and meaning behind the German word “heimat”, which translates to homeland. To prepare for our conversations, we were tasked with dissecting reading selections concerning heimat and how it interacts with other concepts in Germany. A selection from Nation of Provincials by Celia Applegate who gives a historical context behind the word heimat as she analyzes the experiences of the Pfaltz people. Their identification with a particular region was used to define heimat as a love for one’s homeland or community. However, the word evolved to also encompass the nationalist movement in Germany at the time, taking the meaning of this word beyond a longing and loyalty to a homeland.

            When we discussed as a group, I found it interesting that the word heimat was so rich, dynamic, and complex that there wasn’t an exact equivalent in English that would represent the cultural context of the word. Home wasn’t quite right. Homeland wasn’t it either. Nor patriotism. The closest I could personally think of is the Spanish word of “patria” which often includes a deep love and pride for a homeland, though it lacks the political implications that have been central in heimat’s history.

            Just what is it that gives heimat such a loaded meaning that could be considered controversial? In a way, heimat does include stereotypical aspects of German culture like bratwurst, Oktoberfest, lederhosen, and the German countryside. However, those ideas were not always reality for everyone. The word heimat may not be inclusive of everyone. There are many people who may consider themselves German but who may lack this idyllic view of German culture or have differing cultural traits than those represented by heimat. Globalization has only added to the complexity of having one sole homeland with homogenous culture. With rapidly evolving technology and communication, more and more people lack a homeland going back generations upon generations. People are born to immigrant parents, people move to different countries and cities, people convert to new religions, and people learn multiple languages. I think the idea of one sole homeland can be inflexible and restrictive at best, reducing the varied human experiences that are more prevalent with the rise of globalization. At worst, it can be a term that causes some discrimination against groups who may identify fully with the concepts of heimat as they may speak different languages, look different, or practice different religious or spiritual beliefs.

            The exclusivity that heimat may subliminally support becomes even more relevant when considering the discrimination faced by migrants and refugees previously mentioned in our class. Though Germany has quite lax migration and asylum laws that are supported by national legislation, the attitudes of the German people differ substantially as a whole. Migrants who in particular are of Islam faith have faced discrimination considering that traditionally, Germanic faith has centered around Christianity. Thus, Islamic beliefs may appear to go against the historical roots of heimat, leading some Germans to perhaps view “outsiders” with suspicion and as not fully belonging to Germanic ideals.

            This aspect may enforce identity politics as a whole, raising questions of what is considered as belonging to Germany and what is not. A concept that in a way promotes unity can also destroy unity, labeling certain individuals as not belonging to Germany due to immutable aspects of their unique identities that cannot be conformed to traditionally German principles. The video below is of a German Deputy Minister stating that migrants need to conform to German norms like Christianity and humanism. Though heimat can evoke warm feelings of cultural familiarity, it can clearly lead to a lack of awareness of one’s privilege and of oppressive beliefs against minority groups who already struggle to adapt to a new country even without this perception of them.

            Though I do believe there is a place for a love and longing for one’s homeland, reflection and class discussions have led me to think that these concepts are too nuanced to simply be encompassed by a term like heimat. Privilege needs to be thought of so that seemingly innocuous words don’t become overtaken by identity politics rampant in politics throughout the world, which fail to consider the impacts and benefits of globalization. As we get closer to our departure date, I look forward to witnessing German culture with my own eyes from both the perspectives of those not native to Germany and of those who have been in Germany for generations. Perhaps we will understand heimat a little more once we can experience Germany for ourselves and I look forward to learning more about these difficult concepts. Also, make sure to check out the links below for some more interesting reads on heimat!

More heimat sources:

Germany is adding a ministry for “Heimat,” a word loaded with negative undertones 

Patriotic term “Heimat” driving new German “identity politics” 

Does Every Language Need a Word for Heimat? 

Did state-building drive Bohemia to the sea?

This week in our class lecture, we had the opportunity to read and discuss a poem written by Anselm Kiefer, entitled "Bohemia lies by the sea." Throughout the poem one could sense that the narrator is urgently crying out to Bohemians to stand with him, and fight to retain the culture of their lost land. In the beginning, one may have thought that Bohemia was just a made-up place that the narrator simply identifies as his place of peace and sanctity, however it is actually a real place. According to an article on Encyclopedia Britannica, which can be viewed below, the land of modern day Bohemia is now mostly occupied by the Czech Republic nation.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Bohemia

In the modern day, this land is no longer referred to as the Kingdom of Bohemia, but instead the individual nations like Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia identify by themselves. Bohemia, once a unified kingdom ruled by the Holy Roman Empire, is now a segregated land. The narrator of the poem seems to be expressing his desire to be one day reunited with his Heimat, which is a German term that translates as "home" in English but his a much richer meaning in the German culture. Heimat is a place of peace and belonging that brings about a special nostalgic feeling. The writer longs for a wholeness and unity of his once Bohemian people, and this was quite evident in the poem. However, to add another perspective, the video below gives a deeper meaning to the story, as the critiques in the video discuss the elements of the picture. Bringing up points like the material used and texture of the painting, relating them to the artist's emotions and his effort to convey the sense of feeling of the land to his audience, were just some of the strong points made. 

After reading the poem and viewing the painting, an audience can get a more holistic view of the author's desperation to find his Bohemia once again. While it may be impossible to somehow reclaim the entire nation as Bohemia, by simply finding people who have experienced such Bohemian culture as the narrator did, it can give him a sense of peace and belonging once again. But the important question of how the segregation of the Kingdom of Bohemia came about must be addressed. In this week's reading entitled "History of Germany 1780-1918: The Long Nineteenth Century; Second Edition," written by David Blackbourn, the idea of "state-building" was introduced. This "state-building" was defined in two ways, however the meaning that more pertains to the discussion of Germany is that which speaks about "the physical expansion of territory through peaceful or non-peaceful" means. During this time period in Germany there was a lot of migration within the land, which resulted in physical expansion as well as cultural expansion and integration. Such integration may have resulted in the merging of East and West Germany, which lead to the identification as one German nation. 

This idea of state-building can also contribute to the ideas as to how the Kingdom of Bohemia fell, by looking into the second definition of state-building. This was defined as "the attempt that rulers made to build more centralized and rationalized states within a specific border." This could have possibly been the case with Bohemia, since the land is now segregated into individual nations. However, a challenge can be made to the first definition of state-building, as to whether peaceful or non-peaceful methods were used when the segregation of Bohemia occurred. It could be the case that the Kingdom's dissolution was due to conflicts within Bohemia. Although this may be seen as an overall peaceful resolution due to the prior conflict within the kingdom, the means by which the state-building occurred may not necessarily have been so peaceful. The process by which the lands became segregated may have been controversial perhaps. Also, the end result was not entirely one which resulted in peace, as there exists a Bohemian diaspora out there, for example the narrator of the poem, who may still miss the culture of his unified Bohemian people. This culture, the narrator believes may have been pushed out of the interior land and may now lie as far as the coasts of the sea, if it even still exists. Wherever it may be, he considers that his Heimat and longs for a return to it.

German Identity: Who can be a German?

German Identity:

Who Can Be A German?

As we discussed in class on the 14th of January, immigrants in Germany face a unique situation in which the welcoming policies of their host country is contrasted with their struggle to integrate into the completely foreign culture of their new-found haven.

Germany's laws and policies, in addition to its physical location, makes it an attractive location for immigrants seeking asylum. This leaves outsiders to wonder if German culture is as welcoming as their policies,

Germany has set in place numerous measures in recent history from 1961 that provided the conditions for its current influx of immigrants. Once in country, these refugees are given ample training to learn how to assimilate and adapt to German culture. Below are resources which showcase the process immigrants grow through.

• Integrating refugees in Germany | DW Documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNSunDx5S_g
• Immigration Policy, Assimilation of Immigrants and Natives' Sentiments Towards Immigrants: Evidence from 12 Oecd-Countries - https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=251988   (You can access this article for free with your USF NET ID)

However whilst immigrants are officially welcomed in the country, many citizens do no share the same sentiments as their government. The majority of Germans do not believe that the culture of Germany is one which is compatible with Islam, the religion of most of their asylum seekers. This has led to an increased presence in neo-nazi and German nationalist groups that strongly voice their opinions opposing an open Germany. 

Attached are a documentary and a preview of a book which highlights some of the struggles that immigrants have to face not only adapting to a new environment but also the challenges imposed by their new neighbours.

• Seeking Asylum in Germany, and Finding Hatred | Times Documentaries - https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/europe/100000005090433/libyan-migrant-bautzen-germany.html 
• Negotiating Identities: States and Immigrants in France and Germany - https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3YWw17wkiFYC&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=immigrants+germany&ots=g2v1KRab32&sig=19MOoC8_6rKf5zNkULUHkmWr5Mg#v=onepage&q&f=false

This struggle for an identity is also seen among ethnic Germans who following World War II, faced a Germany divvied up by the allies. Their culture and way of life have been greatly altered and there are differences still seen to this day. As seen in the poem by Ingeborg Bachmann: Bohemia Lies by the Sea, many Germans were displaced after the war and their historical homeland may no longer exist in Germany. While not an insight into the mind of a displaced German, the article below helps to broadcast the differences between East and West Germany that are still felt to this day.

• German reunification 25 years on: how different are east and west really