Maintaining cultural identity. Ethnic consciousness and institutional support among young Upper Sorbs

Eine der grossten Herausforderungen, mit der sich jede ethnische und sprachliche Minderheit konfrontiert sieht, ist die Sicherung der Kontinuitat. Nur so kann es gelingen, dass die Sprache weiterhin angewendet und das Bewusstsein der Gruppenzugehorigkeit bewahrt wird. In der heutigen Welt, die von Migration, neuen Medien sowie sozialen und demografischen Problemen gepragt ist, geniigt es meist nicht mehr, die Verantwortung fur die Erziehung der jungen Generation allein den Eltern zu uberlassen. Die jungen Leute unterliegen weit starkeren kulturellen Einfliissen als friihere Generationen. Sie leben in einer transkulturellen Welt, wechseln leichter den Wohnort, sind eher Weltburger als Bewohner einer ,,Heimat". Die Wahl der ethnischen Identitat, das Bewusstsein der Zugehorigkeit zu einer bestimmten Kultur und der Verantwortung dafür ist weniger Resultat der Erziehung in der Familie, sondern hangt in hohem Mafie ab von Handlungen und Unternehmungen, an denen junge Menschen beteiligt sind, z. B. von Freunden mit ahnlichen Interessen, von spezifischen Werten einer Minderheitenkultur. Der Beitrag enthalt den Bericht von einer kulturwissenschaftlichen Feldforschung in der Oberlausitz im Jahr 2010. Die Analyse stutzt sich auf Interviews, die mit jungen Sorben im Alter von 16—25 Jahren gefuhrt wurden

Dilemmas of identity and language among young Kashubs in the light of 21st-century cultural change

The article presents the results of fi eld research among young Kashubs in 2012, which consisted of participant observation and interviews with young Kashubs (16–25 years old) involved in activities concerning the protection of the minority language and culture. the objective was the study of young people's views of the Kashubian world, to what extent their knowledge of the minority language is related to attitudes supporting identifi cation with the minority, how they perceive their culture and what they would like it to be in the future. Due to the weak intergenerational transmission of the language in the 20th century, many young Kashubs did not learn Kashubian at home. Some of the author’s interlocutors learned Kashubian at school, some learned it on their own, and others cannot speak Kashubian, but make it a symbol of their Kashubian identity. When the pressure of assimilation is strong, then choice of whether or not to declare themselves as Kashub is each young person’s individual decision. Whether a person decides to identify with the minority culture depends on the image of this culture. In the case of Kashubian, it is still strongly related to a folkloristic image which does not fi t into the everyday life of the younger generation. Young Kashubs rebel against this stereotypical image of their culture. Being teenagers, just like any others, they do not want to be perceived as relics of the past. Nevertheless, being critical of the folkloric aspect does not mean a revolt against tradition, as it, next to the language, can be seen as a factor determining the boundaries of being Kashub in the modern world

Nauczanie języka kaszubskiego. Wokół ideologii jezyków kolateralnych

The article discusses the educational consequences of the collateral nature of the Kashubian language in relation to Polish. The collateral nature is defined as the languages’ mutual intelligibility resulting from their formal proximity and the lack of political independence of the language community. Based on longterm field research and in-depth interviews, the analysis touches upon language ideologies in Kashubia which directly impact the process of teaching the Kashubian language. These ideologies – the assumptions about the language and its users rooted in social consciousness – refer to the status of the Kashubian language, its dialectal nature, and the legitimate speakers of Kashubian. Language ideologies related to the collateral nature of Kashubian are responsible for the choice of the teaching methods, the distrust of people associated with education (parents, teachers, students) as to the meaningfulness of teaching, as well as the relationship between the language learnt and spoken by the communityThe article discusses the educational consequences of the collateral nature of the Kashubian language in relation to Polish. The collateral nature is defined as the languages’ mutual intelligibility resulting from their formal proximity and the lack of political independence of the language community. Based on longterm field research and in-depth interviews, the analysis touches upon language ideologies in Kashubia which directly impact the process of teaching the Kashubian language. These ideologies – the assumptions about the language and its users rooted in social consciousness – refer to the status of the Kashubian language, its dialectal nature, and the legitimate speakers of Kashubian. Language ideologies related to the collateral nature of Kashubian are responsible for the choice of the teaching methods, the distrust of people associated with education (parents, teachers, students) as to the meaningfulness of teaching, as well as the relationship between the language learnt and spoken by the communit

Sytuacja języków łużyckich – stan, instytucje, działania rewitalizacyjne

This report presents the situation of the two Sorbian languages: Upper and Lower Sorbian. Referring to the Joshua A. Fishman’s Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale, the Author presents the stages in the maintenance of these two languages as well as the activities taken by the minorities towards their protection and revitalization. The situation of the Lower Sorbian language can be perceived as dramatic. Only a small group of people from the oldest generation use it in every‑ day life. The education programs aimed at revitalizing this language (immersion kindergarten Witaj) do not fulfill the hopes placed in them. The linguistic situation in Catholic Upper Lusatia seems to be different. The intergenerational community using the Upper Sorbian language still exists, numerous institutions and associations proposing different cultural and linguistic activities are functioning. Unfortunately, the Sorbs do not make use of the language rights given to them. As a result of their passive attitude, the Sorbian languages do not function in the public life in Lusatia. In face of the demographic changes, strong migration, unemployment in Lusatia and the very low prestige of the Slavonic languages – any revitalization processes are difficult to accomplish

Facebook w badaniach etnograficznych – przyczynek do dyskusji o dylematach etycznych antropologa

The article analyses the role of netnographic research as a part of the classical ethnographic research concerning linguistic, cultural and identity practices of young people belonging to European linguistic minorities. Based on personal experience from field research, two main attitudes of the Facebook researcher are presented: the participant–observer and the observer not participating. The first is engaged in Facebook community life and actively reacts against informants listings, poses questions and stimulates conversations. The observer not participating is mute and does not react in any way to the contents placed on Facebook. Both attitudes are loaded with ethical problems: from breaking the anonymity and consciousness of being observed rule to the possibility of manipulation of observed people. This article concentrates on the advantages of using the Internet and particularly Facebook as a supplement to classical ethnographic fieldwork while it gives the observer access to all spheres of young people’s lives which are not accessible when researching only in the off-line reality

Les Sorabes sont-ils une « minorité » modèle ?

Les Sorabes sont souvent définis comme étant une « minorité modèle ». Or cette définition a pour cette minorité des conséquences négatives. Avec la chute du communisme et d’un État qui les avait subventionnés mais réduits à la folklorisation, ainsi que la réunification de l’Allemagne qui a suivi, les Sorabes durent décider de leur avenir, c’est-à-dire comment faire valoir leurs droits, demander des subventions et comment protéger leur culture et leur langue. Néanmoins, l’attitude des Sorabes peut être caractérisée par la passivité : ils ne prennent pas de nouvelles initiatives, ne profitent pas toujours des possibilités qui existent de recourir à des financements et attendent que les lois changent au lieu de faire pression pour obtenir l’application de celles qui existent déjà. La culture sorabe s’est coupée du monde moderne pour devenir peu à peu une culture ethnographique. Elle ne peut comme telle attirer les jeunes qui doivent assurer l’avenir de la culture et de la langue sorabes. Si les Sorabes et leurs langues doivent survivre, il leur faut agir positivement sur le terrain au lieu de se plaindre que la protection de l’État est insuffisante.Sorbs are often defined as a ‘model minority’. However, this definition has detrimental consequences for this minority. With the collapse of communism and of a state which had subsidized the Sorbs but subjected them to folklorization, and with the subsequent German reunification, Sorbs had to begin to decide themselves what their future would be: how to apply for their rights, for subsidies and how to protect their culture and languages. However, the Sorbian attitude can be characterized as passive: they do not initiate new actions, do not always utilize the possibilities of raising funds and they wait for changes in the law instead of taking advantage of those already in force. The Sorbian culture has been shutting itself off from the modern world, slowly becoming an ethnographical culture. As such, it hardly attracts young people who will be responsible for the future of Sorbian culture and languages. If Sorbs and their languages are to survive there is a need for positive, grass-root action instead of complaints about insufficient protection by the state

Tradition, Folklore, Modernity. Upper Sorbian and Kashubian Culture Through the Eyes of Its Young Representatives

The article is based on a participatory observation and semi-structured interviews conducted in 2012 and 2013 with young (aged 16–25) Upper Sorbs and Kashubs. They were asked about their perception of the Upper Sorbian/Kashubian culture, its relation with the past, tradition and folklore, reception of the dominant image of their culture and the existence of a modern dimension of the Upper Sorbian/Kashubian culture. An analysis of the young peoples’ statements and anthropological research shows that a relation with tradition is still important for minority culture participants although it depends on the way this culture is lived. In the case of the Upper Sorbs some of the traditions, related to the Catholic culture, are alive and constitute an important part of community life. They are perceived as the ‘authentic’ ones. The Kashubian culture, however, has been strongly folklorized and young people do not identify with the folkloric representations and image of this culture, which is treated as an artificial phenomenon. Young people of both cultures want their culture to be modern yet, at the same time, have a connection with the past.The article is based on a participatory observation and semi-structured interviews conducted in 2012 and 2013 with young (aged 16–25) Upper Sorbs and Kashubs. They were asked about their perception of the Upper Sorbian/Kashubian culture, its relation with the past, tradition and folklore, reception of the dominant image of their culture and the existence of a modern dimension of the Upper Sorbian/Kashubian culture. An analysis of the young peoples’ statements and anthropological research shows that a relation with tradition is still important for minority culture participants although it depends on the way this culture is lived. In the case of the Upper Sorbs some of the traditions, related to the Catholic culture, are alive and constitute an important part of community life. They are perceived as the ‘authentic’ ones. The Kashubian culture, however, has been strongly folklorized and young people do not identify with the folkloric representations and image of this culture, which is treated as an artificial phenomenon. Young people of both cultures want their culture to be modern yet, at the same time, have a connection with the past

Languages and cultures in contact. The place of new speakers in the education system in Upper Lusatia

Languages and cultures in contact. The place of new speakers in the education system in Upper LusatiaUpper Sorbs are a Slavic minority group living in eastern Germany. The number of Upper Sorbian speakers is diminishing. Upper Sorbs, the majority of whom are Catholics, have a strong ethnic identity based on language, faith, and tradition and they form a rather closed community in relation to the surrounding German population. To counteract the process of language loss, the Sorbs have established an educational project called ‘Witaj’. The continuation of this project is the `2 plus’ program of bilingual education in schools, which has been implemented by the federal state of Saxony. The idea behind these initiatives is to connect native Upper Sorbian speakers and learners in order to facilitate the achievement of language competence and to break down existing ethnic boundaries. The realisation of this concept has encountered numerous problems. The German-speaking pupils involved often feel unmotivated to learn Sorbian and are often rejected by the Sorbian-speaking community as (potential) members.This article presents the results of a research project examining the way young people from German-speaking homes who attend one of the Upper Sorbian middle schools acquire Sorbian language competence and how they create an identity in relation/opposition to their Sorbian-speaking peers. The analysis is based on the sociolinguistic observations of language practices conducted in the school in 2017 and on interviews with both native speakers and learners of Upper Sorbian. The article focuses on the following issues: relations between language practices, the necessary conditions for the active use of minority languages by learners, language and interpersonal contact, the acceptance of new speakers, and the creation of ‘communities of practice’. Języki i kultury w kontakcie. Miejsce nowomówców w systemie edukacji na Górnych ŁużycachŁużyczanie są słowiańską mniejszością zamieszkującą we wschodniej części Niemiec. Liczba osób posługujących się językami łużyckimi, w tym językiem górnołużyckim, stale maleje. Górnołużyczanie, w przeważającej mierze katolicy, tworzą raczej zamkniętą wspólnotę, opartą o silną tożsamość etniczną, język, wiarę i tradycje. Aby przeciwdziałać procesowi utraty języka, Łużyczanie stworzyli program „Witaj”, którego kontynuacją był stworzony przez land Saksonii program dwujęzycznego nauczania „2 plus”. Celem tych programów było połączenie rodzimych użytkowników łużyckiego oraz dzieci uczących się go, aby umożliwić tym ostatnim zdobywanie kompetencji językowych i przełamać istniejące granice etniczne. Realizacja tego pomysłu napotyka jednak liczne problemy. Uczniowie niemieckojęzyczni często czują się niezmotywowani do uczenia się górnołużyckiego, często są też odrzucani przez łużyckojęzyczną wspólnotę jako (potencjalni) użytkownicy łużyckiego.Artykuł przedstawia wyniki badań dotyczących sposobu, w jaki młodzi ludzie z niemieckojęzycznych domów chodzący do jednej z górnołużyckich szkół średnich, zdobywają kompetencje językowe i jak tworzą swoją tożsamość w relacji lub opozycji do ich łużyckojęzycznych kolegów. Analiza oparta jest o socjolingwistyczne obserwacje praktyk językowych, prowadzonych w szkole w 2017 roku, i na wywiadach z uczniami górnołużycko- i niemieckojęzycznymi. Tekst koncentruje się na relacji między praktykami językowymi, warunkami niezbędnymi do tego, żeby język mniejszościowy mógł być aktywnie używany przez uczących się i tworzeniem relacji między ludźmi, poczucia akceptacji oraz wspólnot praktyki