Of ‘Cultural Root Dwarves’ and Other Imageries, Short report of the 1st HERMES symposium:

By: Sebastian Schröder, Weimar

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‘Between the Seas’ – In Search of Common Cultural Roots in Central and Eastern Europe,

27-28 June 2005, Wieland estate at Ossmannstedt near Weimar

The timing could not have been better: Months ago, the date for the first scientific symposium of the HERMES project was chosen because of the opening of the newly renovated Wieland estate in Ossmannstedt near Weimar, thus ensuring that the conference would be the first event to be held in the new seminar centre there. Yet in the light of the recent turbulent events in the European Union, which have been described by many as symptoms of a deep crisis of European integration, it seemed particularly justified and important to search for ‘common cultural roots’ in the Central and Eastern parts of Europe.

For a day and a half, twenty scholars from Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Russia convened in an inspiring environment to exchange their views on Europe, its past, its cultural history and geography, and on the politics of heritage, remembrance and identity. The main objective of the symposium was to discuss the concept of a feasibility study by Frithjof Reinhardt and Justus H. Ulbricht for the Foundation Weimar Classic. This study, which constitutes an integral part of HERMES, seeks to identify common topics of relevance in the entire ‘CADSES space’, and beyond. Furthermore, its aim is to develop proposals for the practical work on these topics in education, transnational co-operations of cultural institutions, and in cultural tourism.

Other presentations at the symposium dealt with the politics of culture, symbolism, identity and heritage, different conceptualizations of Central Europe (‘Mitteleuropa’) and Eastern Europe and their connotations, Jewish culture and heritage, Roma in Slovakia and Hungary, and with ‘Middle Germany’.

Two things became clear as a result of the conference: Firstly, it is misleading to apply the term ‘root’ to cultural phenomena, even in a metaphorical sense. This was illustrated by the neologism of ‘cultural root dwarf’ (‘Kulturwurzelzwerg’) which was coined in the discussion, ironically referring to a well-known German fairy tale for children. The adequate approach to culture, identity and heritage has to be a constructivist one, taking into account the significance of communication and narratives, as well as the political interests and motivations of social actors.

Secondly, the field in which HERMES is engaged is of great relevance and actuality. At the same time, however, it is also very broad and difficult to delimitate. Some participants recommended that the project, and the feasibility study in particular, should avoid to ‘re-invent the wheel’ by focussing its research directly on aspects of European cultural history. Rather, it should pay much attention to the practical side, and ask for the relevance and applicability of selected topics in education, cultural tourism, and regional development in general.

A detailed report of the symposium will follow in due course. Also, some of the papers presented in Ossmannstedt will be published in the near future. The coming scientific symposia of HERMES (Kraków, 8-11 September 2005; Sofia, 8-11 June 2006; Weimar, 5-7 October 2006) will discuss in depth many of the issues raised at the opening conference.

For further information, please contact the co-ordinator of the symposia, Sebastian Schröder-Esch, M.A., M.E.S.

(e-Mail: sebastian.schroeder-@-archit.uni-weimar.de).

 

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