Resumen de Chapter 5. The public history of heimat and the schools
This chapter is a mixture of discourse analysis, cultural anthropological empiricism, integration of behavioral research, and conceptual argumentation. It develops our understanding of the history of the "heimat" and schools through a new approach that brings together corresponding themes of discussion and controversies from German politics, academic discourse, research, and art to develop a comprehensive view of a discourse landscape on the phenomenon of spatial collective identities in multinational German speaking culture. The chapter seeks an answer to the identitarian challenge of historical education and public history which has resonated over recent years. The answer is essentially sought in a rediscovery and reconceptualization of the category "heimat." This is a relatively recent German concept, wandering through different milieus since the modern age, often abused, but always effective in addressing human needs. Where does its fascination come from? How can the corresponding needs be considered without it becoming identical appropriation, exclusion from others, rejection and hatred? This chapter seeks an answer to this question, and thus has political significance for the present too.
