THEATLANDIDENT

The Theatrical Landscape of Bohemia and Moravia as a Space of Negotiating Cultural Identities

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'TheatLandIdent aims at analysing the negotiation of cultural identities in a multiethnic and multilingual sphere. It identifies theatre as a major scene of this negotiation in relation to local, regional and national frames of reference, thus questioning the colonial logic of centre and periphery. In the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy during the 19th Century, a German-speaking municipal theatre became a city’s most important institution for proving its contribution to high culture, its modernity and its inclusion in the field of German culture. My main thesis is that the process of modernisation was not a simple cultural transfer from the centre to the so-called periphery. Instead, the Monarchy’s multiethnic regions had their own logic of circulation, thereby maintaining a reciprocally interdependent relationship with the centre. In this relationship, the region of Bohemia and Moravia was ‘inventing’ itself as a theatrical landscape in which the theatres functioned as stepping stones for artists who later became famous in Vienna or Berlin. My project takes a close look at the ways in which the cities and theatres construed this theatrical landscape. It analyses both the cultural and social practices performed in and between the theatres and the narratives of this landscape. The temporal outline stretches from the Austro-Prussian war in 1866 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. For the Habsburg Monarchy, these two dates mark decisive points for the understanding of German identity which became a concept under negotiation. Nationalism’s pursuit of hegemony downgraded the productive liminal sphere of the multiethnic periphery into a border or frontier region. The historical example of this theatrical landscape helps to better understand how identities are formed through cultural and social practices. TheatLandIdent therefore provides valuable insights for Europe’s current efforts to encourage regional identities across the frontiers of the nation states.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

After 1866, theatre helped carry and define German culture in Bohemia. An EU project's case studies extended understanding by examining the importance of theatre electrification, and by studying the people who applied for theatre director jobs.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Following the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, German cultural identity in the territories of the Austro-Hungarian empire underwent evolution. Theatre was an important driver, yet study of provincial theatre has been neglected in spite of the art form's importance for cultural expression and questioning.

The EU-funded project 'The theatrical landscape of Bohemia and Moravia as a space of negotiating cultural identities' (THEATLANDIDENT) investigated this. The study examined construction of the German-language theatrical landscape in Bohemia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, emphasising drama's role in cultural expression.

One goal was to examine the cultural practices that built a network of theatres, communities and individuals. Another ambition was to identify the discourses and narratives that extended the culture. The latter was pursued via discourse analysis of archive material. The study concluded in March 2013.

Project work began with development of a suitable methodology. The resulting approach relied on the concepts of spatial turn and cultural mobility, combined with actor-network theory. Subsequently, the project described two case studies.

The first illustrated the circulation of technology, specifically the electrification of one theatre in 1882, as a new experience of modernity. The second case study addressed the movement of around 80 individuals who applied to be director of a particular theatre between 1874 and 1917. Results showed the professionalism and standardisation of the applicants, also illustrating that opportunities for women in towns were decades ahead of the metropolises.

The project ran training opportunities, consisting of university courses and PhD workshops. Research findings were presented at conferences.

The THEATLANDIDENT project contributed understanding of how theatre in multi-ethnic Bohemian regions affected cultural productivity in general.