“The German Fatherland.” ´Heimatkunde´ in the Child’s Room and the Classroom: A comparison between west and east Germany

The Project examines how “Heimat” and belonging to it were constructed and mediated as a sources of identification in both the FRG and the GDR. At the same time, it analyzes how children themselves built “Heimat”, how they experienced it, and talked about it. On the one hand it explores institutional and commercial offers regarding their hegemonic claims. On the other hand, it analyses subjective appropriations. In doing so, it reveals reciprocal influences as well as aspects of competition — both in the West–East German comparison and within each system among different actors. The project also shows how various categories — gender, social and regional background, and religion — shaped the modeling of “Heimat”. This analysis draws on a wide range of published, normative as well as subjective, autobiographical, and material sources. By focusing on children’s testimonies, such as school essays and diaries, the project gives voice to actors who often remain silent in historical scholarship. Furthermore, by considering toys, it examines a type of source that has often been neglected. With these specific approaches, the project contributes to the history of childhood, a subject which is still in its early stages in Germany.