A project of the Chair of Modern and Contemporary History in collaboration with the Service Office for the Cultural Region of South Westphalia and the tourism associations Sauerland-Tourismus, Touristikverband Siegerland-Wittgenstein, and the Märkisches Sauerland Leisure and Tourism Association.

Project status: completed

Project objective: Oral history interviews / website

Funded by: Ministry of Family, Children, Youth, Culture, and Sports of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; Research College of the University of Siegen (FoKoS); Sauerland-Tourismus; Siegerland-Wittgenstein Tourism Association; and Märkisches Sauerland Leisure and Tourism Association

The cultural region of South Westphalia, comprising the cities of Siegen and Hagen as well as the districts of Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, and the Märkischer Kreis, has so far been perceived more as a structure than as a unified entity. Nevertheless, a sense of connection or even identification with the region or parts of it does exist. Funded by the Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture, and Sports of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the FoKoS at the University of Siegen, this project aims to explore what makes the region—or parts of it—special, as seen and experienced by its residents. People from the various subregions—including newcomers and those who have lived there for generations—share their image of the region, their definition of a sense of connection, and their stories within and about the region in narrative interviews.

The key criterion for selecting the approximately 90 interviewees in the first phase of the project is that they engage with the “region” in various ways, such as through cultural or social involvement. The goal of the interviews is to discover what binds people to the region, how and why they engage with and within the region, what they value about their region, and what they criticize.

The subjective assessments gathered in this way will be scientifically analyzed in a subsequent step and placed within the context of the tourism and cultural development of the region of South Westphalia, which has thus far been a relatively undefined entity. A joint online platform is planned to communicate the progress of both analyses.

Media coverage of the project:

• WDR Lokalzeit segment on the project “Region as a Way of Life” from September 1, 2015. A camera crew accompanied project staff member Tobias Scheidt from the Chair of Modern and Contemporary History during an interview with Ulrike Wesely from the MuT-Sauerland e.V. association at the Schrabbenhof in Silberg, in the Olpe district. In the studio, project coordinator Susanne Thomas from the South Westphalia Cultural Region explained the goals and background of the research project. The video can be viewed at this link.
• Joachim Karpa: “Researcher Explores the Sense of Belonging in South Westphalia,” in: WAZ, Section: Cities, Subsection: News from Siegen, Kreuztal, Netphen, Hilchenbach, and Freudenberg, August 12, 2015, URL: http://www.derwesten.de/staedte/nachrichten-aus-siegen-kreuztal-netphen-hilchenbach-und-freudenberg/wissenschaftler-erforscht-das-heimatgefuehl-in-suedwestfalen-id10978786.html
• New Project Seeks Stories: South Westphalia as a Way of Life, in: Siegener Zeitung, Section: Local News, August 7, 2015, URL: http://www.siegener-zeitung.de/siegener-zeitung/Suedwestfalen-als-Lebensgefuehl-be0ae61a-9764-48d5-b3b3-c5bddab88b69-ds
• Portraits of People: The Region as a Way of Life, in: Südwestfalen. Regionale 2013, August 3, 2015, URL: http://regionale.suedwestfalen.com/detailansicht/article/menschenbilder-region-als-lebensgefuehl.html

Project Participants:

University of Siegen 
Prof. Angela Schwarz, Ph.D. 
Dr. Daniela Mysliwietz-Fleiß 
Tobias Scheidt, M.A.

South Westphalia Cultural Region Service Office 
Susanne Thomas 
Märkischer Kreis – Department 40: Culture and Tourism 
Ute Plato 
Sauerland Tourism Association 
Sabine Risse 
Elke Holzhüter 
Siegerland-Wittgenstein Tourism Association, Inc. 
Thorsten Engels 
Märkisches Sauerland Leisure and Tourism Association 
Hana Janeckova