Photography And Cultural Heritage In The Age Of Nationalisms

The second half of the 19th century was a time of extensive political upheaval in central east Europe that saw the negotiation of conflicting territorial claims in the region by the Russian, Austrian and Prussian empires. The post-WW1 settlement gave rise to the formation of the independent nation states of Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia and Belarus. Less well know is that this same period was also an era of keen photographic activity. During this time of empire-, state- and nation-building, cultural heritage was a potent vehicle and a provider of collective memory and identity.This innovative account analyses the relationship between politics, history, cultural heritage and photography in central east Europe between 1859 and 1945. To understand the work photographs ‘do’ in the construction of cultural heritage, the author analyses a wide range of little-known photographic archives created by contemporary professional and amateur photographers. Their work was extensively exploited in contemporary debates, appearing in albums, books, journals, exhibitions, museum exhibits, postcards and newspapers aimed at both scientific and popular and national and international publics. An extensive analysis of how photographic practices and outcomes were applied, borrowed, copied, appropriated and transmitted shows how photography was used to exert or subvert power, on the one hand, and as a tool in constructing and negotiating group identities on the other. By weaving photography and its patterns of making, dissemination and archival survival through major historical narratives, this volume reveals the centrality of photography and visual discourse at pivotal moments of modern history.

The second half of the 19th century was a time of extensive political upheaval in central east Europe that saw the negotiation of conflicting territorial claims in the region by the Russian, Austrian and Prussian empires. The post-WW1 settlement gave rise to the formation of the independent nation states of Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia and Belarus. Less well know is that this same period was also an era of keen photographic activity. During this time of empire-, state- and nation-building, cultural heritage was a potent vehicle and a provider of collective memory and identity.This innovative account analyses the relationship between politics, history, cultural heritage and photography in central east Europe between 1859 and 1945. To understand the work photographs ‘do’ in the construction of cultural heritage, the author analyses a wide range of little-known photographic archives created by contemporary professional and amateur photographers. Their work was extensively exploited in contemporary debates, appearing in albums, books, journals, exhibitions, museum exhibits, postcards and newspapers aimed at both scientific and popular and national and international publics. An extensive analysis of how photographic practices and outcomes were applied, borrowed, copied, appropriated and transmitted shows how photography was used to exert or subvert power, on the one hand, and as a tool in constructing and negotiating group identities on the other. By weaving photography and its patterns of making, dissemination and archival survival through major historical narratives, this volume reveals the centrality of photography and visual discourse at pivotal moments of modern history.

The second half of the 19th century was a time of extensive political upheaval in central east Europe that saw the negotiation of conflicting territorial claims in the region by the Russian, Austrian and Prussian empires. The post-WW1 settlement gave rise to the formation of the independent nation states of Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia and Belarus. Less well know is that this same period was also an era of keen photographic activity. During this time of empire-, state- and nation-building, cultural heritage was a potent vehicle and a provider of collective memory and identity.This innovative account analyses the relationship between politics, history, cultural heritage and photography in central east Europe between 1859 and 1945. To understand the work photographs ‘do’ in the construction of cultural heritage, the author analyses a wide range of little-known photographic archives created by contemporary professional and amateur photographers. Their work was extensively exploited in contemporary debates, appearing in albums, books, journals, exhibitions, museum exhibits, postcards and newspapers aimed at both scientific and popular and national and international publics. An extensive analysis of how photographic practices and outcomes were applied, borrowed, copied, appropriated and transmitted shows how photography was used to exert or subvert power, on the one hand, and as a tool in constructing and negotiating group identities on the other. By weaving photography and its patterns of making, dissemination and archival survival through major historical narratives, this volume reveals the centrality of photography and visual discourse at pivotal moments of modern history.

The question of the (photographic) construction and representation of national identity is not limited to the ‘long 19th century’, but is a current issue in the post-colonial, post-global, digital world. The essays by international contributors aim at studying the relationship between photographic archives and the idea of nation, yet without focusing on single symbolic icons and instead considering the wider archival and sedimental dimension.

This volume offers a critical inquiry into the ever-evolving notion of cultural heritage and the way it has been made accessible, governed, and protected by the institutional, operational, and legal structures of the European Union.

Culture is constructed, negotiated, managed, and shared by various ideological, political, and moral reasonings which manifest themselves tangibly and intangibly in public monuments, architecture, memorial sites, theaters, museums, orchestras, and heritage associations. The contributions to this volume explore the intersection of cultural heritage and nationality in societies that are characterized by national, multi-national, and post-national concepts. They question the roles that cultural heritage plays in its various contexts, and the ways in which ideology functions to produce it.

Defining the Others, “them”, in relation to one’s own reference group, “us”, has been an essential phase in the formation of collective identities in any given country or region. In the case of Russia, the formulation of these binary definitions – sometimes taking a form of enemy images – can be traced all the way to medieval texts, in which religion represented the dividing line. Further, the ongoing expansion of the empire transferred numerous “external others” into internal minorities. The chapters of this edited volume examine the development and contexts of various images, perceptions and categories of the Others in Russia from the 16th century Muscovy to the collapse of the Russian empire.

This volume is dedicated to the academic achievements of Karl Kaser and to the 50th anniversary of Southeast European History and Anthropology (SEEHA) at the University of Graz. Its editors are collaborators of SEEHA and experts in various fields of Southeast European Studies: Siegfried Gruber, Dominik Gutmeyr, Sabine Jesner, Elife Krasniqi, Robert Pichler, and Christian Promitzer. The Festschrift covers diverse approaches toward the study of societies and cultures in Southeastern Europe, both with respect to history and current affairs, and brings together contributions from several of Kaser's former doctoral students, colleagues, collaborators and friends from across Europe.