Local History Awareness : And its Influence on Young People in a Post-Communist Region

Sammanfattning: This project explores the impact of a mobile website (MWS) designed to enhance knowledge and interest in local history among residents of Eberswalde as a sample for an Eastern German post-communist city. It aims to strengthen the sense of regional identity and attachment, potentially affecting their decision to remain in or leave the region. The MWS features digitised old postcards, new images, audio memories, short films, and text about historical locations preceding communism in East Germany. Building on previous research showing that interest and engagement in local history can raise, i.a., individuals 'place attachment', 'local identity', and 'regional pride', the research's theoretical frame joins Stefaniak et al.'s (2017), Twells et al.'s (2018) and Pearson and Plevyak's (2020) research outcomes. It groups them into six spheres of effects (SoEs) and reorders them into six individual personal growth dimensions (IPGDs). While the SoEs represent a researcher's bird's-eye view, the IPGDs aim to understand individuals from a frog's-eye viewpoint. The MWS was developed using WordPress with the Divi Editor. A local choir of approximately 35 members critically accompanied the development process, from naming the domain to creating and initial testing a prototype for a location page, which then served as a template for subsequent locations. Subsequently, the MWS was evaluated on-site by five participating local individuals who were not part of the initial testing by the choir members and had at least one family member who experienced the region under communist rule. They were observed during this process, and audio notes were taken. Approximately one to two weeks later, each participant was interviewed using a retrospective semi-structured interview exploring their experiences and any possible perceptual changes regarding their local history. The results show that despite the temporal and scope limitations of the project, the short engagement with local history via the MWS has enriched participants' attachment to the city. It shows further that the worth of local history in this process lies in that sites and monuments of local history are perceived as accomplishments of the local community. This perception fosters an emotional connection and a sense of pride in being part of the locality. In contrast, the presence of natural beauty, as exemplified by the surroundings of Eberswalde, elicits appreciation. Even though nature, not being a human achievement, is admired by participants, it does not evoke the same emotional expressions or pride in belonging to the location. Both are essential for establishing a lasting bond and participation in the city's public and social life.