dr hab. Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska
For years: 2022–2027
Project number: 101041946
ERC Starting Grant
Ghosts are often presented as the spirits of the dead haunting the living. But what if we understood them as material remains, bringing to light overlooked past and enabling us to grasp the experience of the otherness? We propose such an approach in research on displacement, on territories previously inhabited by one culture but after a forced migration resettled by another one.
The displacement comprises expulsion and resettlement. While the former is well-researched, much of the latter remains understudied: especially the settlers’ experiences with things previous inhabitants had left behind. Things act as “ghosts” of previous culture and force settlers to interact with the “spectral” presence of the expellees. Hence, we will operationalize the category of “post-displacement” as a form of afterlife, based on archival records and fieldwork, in 3 regions in Slavic Central Europe where the traces of previous German cultures remained visible, regardless of the efforts to remove them. With hauntology as the proposed research framework and introduction of the category of recycling, we will establish a novel approach in research on the post-displacement regions. Hauntology, a spectral theory of being, shows how the present is pervaded by the past and enables us to engage with unresolved questions, becoming a tool to investigate unexplained phenomena. Recycling is a mechanism of reintroducing the things that were left by expellees into the life of the settlers. Our approach will bring fresh insights into everyday life in the post-displacement regions by providing a more nuanced and coherent understanding of forced migration processes and their continuous reinterpretations in different political and ideological regimes. In understanding what post-displacement things are and the attitude of people towards them, the project presents a showcase study of what we can learn about the emergence of new cultures from the experiences of Central Europe.
In her latest blog post, Magdalena Bubík takes inspiration from the exhibition “Liberec versus Jablonec” at the Severočeské Muzeum [the North Bohemian Museum] in Liberec. Moved by an old map covered with countless stickers, she explores the complex layers of memory, belonging, and identity tied to a place that has undergone a near-complete population change. What does it mean to feel “at home” when the past and present seem to speak different languages?
Blog post you can find here.
This time without Michal, the female part of our team decided to discuss the current Czech knowledge production about formerly German sites and cemeteries published this year in international journals. We gathered online to discuss the article titled: “Institutionalised amnesia? Exploring geographies of memory and the care of German graves in Central Europe: insights from the Czech Republic” written by Lukáš Novotný, a scholar based at University of Jan E. Purkyně in Ústí nad Labem and another article “Reanimation of abandoned places: three case studies from Czechia” by a collective of Czech authors. Novotný focuses on preserving the formerly German cemeteries in the Czech Republic and conducted interviews with mayors and professionals. His data illustrate very well that caring for cemeteries is not only a matter of international politics and ideology, but also everyday management that is difficult for small Czech municipalities. The Study of Kreisslová and a collective of authors is a comparative study of three cases of abandoned and destroyed formerly German villages in Czechia and bottom-up efforts to reconstruct or memorialize them. They focus on these alternative heritage preservation practices and hypothesize how they can inspire thinking about abandoned places in other regions.
Both pieces inspired our writing about the region, and as both articles were published as open access, we encourage you to read them as well.
We invite you to explore the topic further and read about Karina’s recent field research, in which she describes how a group of volunteers cares for the damaged cemetery of the former German inhabitants of the village Čermná (German: Leukersdorf) near Ústí nad Labem (German: Aussig).
As part of her field research, in mid-October Karina Hoření took part in the Wandelust event organized by artist Lucie Králíková. For several years now, a group of volunteers has been caring for the damaged cemetery of the original German inhabitants in the village of Čermná (German: Leukersdorf) near Ústí nad Labem (Aussig). This initiative, of which there are many similar ones in the Czech borderlands, is unique in that it included not only work on the graves but also an artistic performance in a local abandoned church. This event, which makes use of the specific necromantic atmosphere of abandoned sacred buildings in the former German borderlands while further aestheticizing it, attracted a diverse audience. Art school students, local residents, a Slovak writer, and finally two ethnologists researching the borderlands, all came together to pull weeds and plant new flowers. This event shows how Czech collective memory has established a way of remembering the German past and who the actors are that make it happen.
Lately, Michal Korhel had the pleasure of participating in the international conference “Das ‘Erbe’ – Praktiken und Akteure in grenzüberschreitender Perspektive”, organized by the Deutsch-Tschechische and Deutsch-Slowakische Historikerkommission. The event took place from October 8–11 in the historic town of Kutná Hora, Czechia.
In his presentation, “Die Geister von Hauerland: Deutsches Erbe der Region Oberes Neutra seit 1945”, Michal shared insights from his ongoing research into the Hauerland region in central Slovakia — a once predominantly German-speaking area deeply affected by the post-1945 transformations. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, oral history, and archival sources, he examined how the traces of German heritage continue to exist in ambiguous and often ghostly forms, resonating with the philosophical concept of hauntology.
The presentation sparked a discussion around the interpretive potential of hauntology in historical studies, the role of local actors in shaping memory cultures, and the complex issues of guilt and reconciliation in postwar relationships between Germans and settlers. Michal also received valuable feedback and suggestions for further research — including a tip about a site rumored to be literally haunted by German ghosts.
Michal extends his thanks to the organizers and all fellow participants for the enriching exchange, thought-provoking questions, and inspiring conversations during these memorable days in Kutná Hora.