Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations
Territorial shifts after World War II entailed critical demographic changes: Germans were expelled from Elbing; Poles from the eastern territories were supposed to take their place in Elbląg. Personal and national narratives had to be created from scratch. The article explores different forms of tex...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lodz University Press
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Czytanie Literatury |
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| Online Access: | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/czytanieliteratury/article/view/21501 |
| _version_ | 1827366590856822784 |
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| author | Elisa-Maria Hiemer |
| author_facet | Elisa-Maria Hiemer |
| author_sort | Elisa-Maria Hiemer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Territorial shifts after World War II entailed critical demographic changes: Germans were expelled from Elbing; Poles from the eastern territories were supposed to take their place in Elbląg. Personal and national narratives had to be created from scratch. The article explores different forms of texts and maps – memoirs, tourist guides, literature, and an exhibition – to scrutinise different city and neighbourhood narratives from German and Polish standpoints. Besides analysing the central motifs and narrative strategies that rely on an urban visualisation of memory, it rejects the popular notion of a palimpsest in favour of a decolonial perspective on urban space. Proposing a way to imagine a city beyond nation-based concepts can stimulate reconsidering hierarchic city structures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:52:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-caf8b80e331c4849945ef8b117f2fbc9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2299-7458 2449-8386 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:52:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Lodz University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Czytanie Literatury |
| spelling | doaj.art-caf8b80e331c4849945ef8b117f2fbc92024-02-01T07:57:22ZengLodz University PressCzytanie Literatury2299-74582449-83862023-12-01129511310.18778/2299-7458.12.0721485Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representationsElisa-Maria Hiemer0Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe in MarburgTerritorial shifts after World War II entailed critical demographic changes: Germans were expelled from Elbing; Poles from the eastern territories were supposed to take their place in Elbląg. Personal and national narratives had to be created from scratch. The article explores different forms of texts and maps – memoirs, tourist guides, literature, and an exhibition – to scrutinise different city and neighbourhood narratives from German and Polish standpoints. Besides analysing the central motifs and narrative strategies that rely on an urban visualisation of memory, it rejects the popular notion of a palimpsest in favour of a decolonial perspective on urban space. Proposing a way to imagine a city beyond nation-based concepts can stimulate reconsidering hierarchic city structures.https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/czytanieliteratury/article/view/21501western territoriesresettlementgerman-polish relationsurban historymental maps |
| spellingShingle | Elisa-Maria Hiemer Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations Czytanie Literatury western territories resettlement german-polish relations urban history mental maps |
| title | Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations |
| title_full | Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations |
| title_fullStr | Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations |
| title_short | Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations |
| title_sort | elbing vs elblag from contested land to decolonial representations |
| topic | western territories resettlement german-polish relations urban history mental maps |
| url | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/czytanieliteratury/article/view/21501 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elisamariahiemer elbingvselblagfromcontestedlandtodecolonialrepresentations |