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This page was translated automatically using artificial intelligence (DeepL). The German version is binding. More information about automatic translation
People construct reality and self-images through stories. In narratives, we capture who we are and who we want to be. Researchers also refer to this as ‘narrative identity’. Life experiences are repeatedly shaped by social crises, upheavals and changes. People process these changes in different ways. Art and culture can also play a part in this. Exactly how this works has now been investigated in Sub-project I of the collaborative research project ‘Cultural Education and Rural Development’ (KUBILARI) at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. The findings were published in March 2023.
The project team led by Prof. Dr Stephan Beetz and Ulf Jacob from the Faculty of Social Sciences spoke to people actively involved in cultural and artistic pursuits from the Ore Mountains and Upper Lusatia. Through interviews, group discussions, participant observation, site visits and source analyses, they investigated the role cultural education can play in helping people come to terms with upheavals in rural areas. The project team’s aim was to gain a better understanding of how culture contributes to regional and local identity.
Putting change into words
An analysis of the collected material revealed four narrative patterns relating to social change. Firstly, the interviewees spoke of a constant state of change that people in the region have had to cope with for generations. This was particularly evident in the descriptions of structural change in Lusatia. The phase-out of coal mining, currently scheduled for 2038, is a major concern for the region. However, the debate surrounding this does not seem new to the people.
Secondly, the people interviewed linked their self-image to narratives of ‘the fall of the Berlin Wall’ and the post-reunification period. They perceived this as a time of new beginnings (e.g. increased prosperity, new freedom) but also of being patronised (e.g. unemployment, the devaluation of a lifetime’s achievements, dominant West German influence).
Thirdly, the descriptions of crises and upheavals contain narratives relating to more recent regional and local change. In these, the interviewees often distance themselves from central decisions made in Dresden, Berlin or Brussels. In doing so, they seek to preserve or regain local and regional autonomy – also known as the principle of subsidiarity.
Finally, the data contains striking descriptions of general societal change. In these accounts, people come to terms with trends such as digitalisation and globalisation.
Facing up to change: how cultural education can help
The way people talk about something reveals how they think. This also became clear in the KUBILARI I project. The researchers identified four types of action for responding to change through cultural education.
One approach is reflection and renewal. To this end, people engage with their history, the present and the future through art and culture. Secondly, there are cultural practitioners who work in niche fields. To process and come to terms with change, they create an artistic counter-world. The third type reaffirms the legacy and works to preserve tradition. Fourthly, cultural practitioners pragmatically accept reality and attempt to reshape it through art and culture.
Research shows that the local context, past experiences of success or failure, and the people active in the local community have a major influence on cultural education. “Which type prevails depends on regional and local conditions and public opinion,” says Ulf Jacob, a research assistant at KUBILARI I.
That was KUBILARI
The research in the Ore Mountains and Upper Lusatia was part of a collaboration between Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW).
In the joint project ‘Cultural Education and Rural Development’ (KUBILARI), the project partners investigated the influence of cultural education on social upheavals, regional identities and the public perception of rural areas. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research from December 2019 to March 2023.
The results are now available in print and as an e-book. The publication can be ordered via Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (link). Firstly, it documents the project’s findings. Secondly, it covers the project’s closing conference, ‘Art, Culture and Rural Areas in Saxony’ (22 September 2022 at the Kraftwerk Chemnitz). The supplementary contributions and articles by cultural practitioners and the experts involved provide further insights.
Text: Christopher M. Brinkmann, photos: Ulf Jacob (Mittweida University of Applied Sciences), KUBILARI