Ulf-Thomas Lesle, Ph.D., science writer and essayist. Studied philology, history, theater and cultural studies. Dramaturg at the Ohnsorg-Theater, Hamburg (1980-1987) and Lektor, Argument Verlag, Berlin / Hamburg (1988-1990). 1991-2012 research assistant at the Institute for Low German Language and Lecturer at the Faculties of Cultural and Literary Studies, University of Bremen. Focus: History of the Low German movement in the 19st, 20st and 21st centuries, anti-Semitism, the mentality and landscape history of northern Germany.
Alfred Toepfer was an important actor of the „völkisch“ nationalism in the 20th century. The Hamb... more Alfred Toepfer was an important actor of the „völkisch“ nationalism in the 20th century. The Hamburg entrepreneur built with his assets a foundation. The Toepfer-sponsored scientists and cultural workers were part of an institutional network that pursued the subversive goals of a cross-border "Germanism policy". The scope of Toepfer's political influence in the course of the twentieth century has only been revealed in recent decades. The contribution is the critical conclusion of a research project and outlines the entire spectrum of Toepfer's activities within the framework of a national political concept.
This essay describes pertinent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized... more This essay describes pertinent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized due to their seeming marginality. Low German, after it had lived on in a socially determined orality since the Early Modern period, is finally no longer suitable for everyday use in the Modern period. With the changes and the loss of Low German dialects, High German becomes the dominant language of northern Ger-many. Yet, in the middle of the 19 th century Klaus Groth takes the dialect as the supposedly old language of the Volk, writes it down anew, and literalizes it. This leads nationally conservative groups to discover Low German as a source of collective identity , and in the wake of this language myth, Low German Linguistics is established as a scholarly discipline. This development is one of the reasons why the so-called Low German movement at the beginning of the 20 th century can refer to völkisch ideas of self and other and is thus able to establish the medialized dialects as untouchable cultural heritage. A closely-knit Low German network produces a " meaningful branding " for moribund varieties throughout all ages. At the beginning of the 21 st century, Low German is to be conserved anew as a symbol of collective identity and in the name of an " ethnic revival. " To this end, the old language myth is reanimated. As a " Low German regional language " the varieties – the natural changes of which the lobbyists ignore – are placed under the protection of a European language charter. This legal instrument is implicitly anti-modern because it only protects autochthonous language forms and continues to marginalize the extant varieties produced by migrants.
Niederdeutsch an den Universitäten. Lehre und Forschung , S. 71 - 90, 2002
There is no science that has guaranteed contours. This is borne out by the general conditions und... more There is no science that has guaranteed contours. This is borne out by the general conditions under which, since the middle of the nineteenth century, university research and teaching have been developed in Low German philology. It is particularly the recent methodological differentiation in the area of general literary science that shows that Lower German literary sciences will not be able to re-establish themselves fundamentally in the context of the current research development of their subject matter. While the linguistically oriented Low German philology participates in the theorious discussion of modern dialectology, the research stage of the literature of the Low German literature has not really gone beyond traditional hermeneutic approaches in the last thirty years. This is only an indication that the innovation pressure on the compartment is not exactly the same.
Sprache, Literatur, Raum. Fs. für Willy Diercks, S. 693 - 741, 2015
This essay desribes pernitent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized ... more This essay desribes pernitent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized due to their seeming marginality. Low German, after it had lived on in a socially determined orality since the Early Modern period, is finally no longer suitable for everyday use in the Modern period. With the changes and the loss of Low German dialects, High German becomes the dominant language of northern Germany. Yet, in the middle of the 19th. century Klaus Groth takes the dialect as the supposedly old language of the Volk, writes it down anew, and literalizes it. This leads nationally conservative groups to discover Low German as a cource of collective identity, and in the waake of this language myth, Low German Linguistic is established as a scholary discipline. This development is one of the reasons why the so-called Low German movement at the beginning of the 20th. century can refer to völkisch ideas of self and other and is thus able to establish the medialized dialects as untouchable cultural heritage. A closely-knit Low German network produces a „meaningful branding“ for moribund varieties throughout all eyes. At the beginning of the 21th. century, Low German is to beconserved anew as a symbol of collective identity an in the name of an „ethnic revival“. To this end, the old language myth is reanimated. As a „Low German regional language“ the varieties – the natural changes of which the lobbyists ignore – are placed under the protection of a European language charter. This legal instrument is implicitly anti-modern because it only protects autochthonous language forms and continues to marginalize the extant varieties produced by migrants.
Alfred Toepfer was an important actor of the „völkisch“ nationalism in the 20th century. The Hamb... more Alfred Toepfer was an important actor of the „völkisch“ nationalism in the 20th century. The Hamburg entrepreneur built with his assets a foundation. The Toepfer-sponsored scientists and cultural workers were part of an institutional network that pursued the subversive goals of a cross-border "Germanism policy". The scope of Toepfer's political influence in the course of the twentieth century has only been revealed in recent decades. The contribution is the critical conclusion of a research project and outlines the entire spectrum of Toepfer's activities within the framework of a national political concept.
This essay describes pertinent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized... more This essay describes pertinent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized due to their seeming marginality. Low German, after it had lived on in a socially determined orality since the Early Modern period, is finally no longer suitable for everyday use in the Modern period. With the changes and the loss of Low German dialects, High German becomes the dominant language of northern Ger-many. Yet, in the middle of the 19 th century Klaus Groth takes the dialect as the supposedly old language of the Volk, writes it down anew, and literalizes it. This leads nationally conservative groups to discover Low German as a source of collective identity , and in the wake of this language myth, Low German Linguistics is established as a scholarly discipline. This development is one of the reasons why the so-called Low German movement at the beginning of the 20 th century can refer to völkisch ideas of self and other and is thus able to establish the medialized dialects as untouchable cultural heritage. A closely-knit Low German network produces a " meaningful branding " for moribund varieties throughout all ages. At the beginning of the 21 st century, Low German is to be conserved anew as a symbol of collective identity and in the name of an " ethnic revival. " To this end, the old language myth is reanimated. As a " Low German regional language " the varieties – the natural changes of which the lobbyists ignore – are placed under the protection of a European language charter. This legal instrument is implicitly anti-modern because it only protects autochthonous language forms and continues to marginalize the extant varieties produced by migrants.
Niederdeutsch an den Universitäten. Lehre und Forschung , S. 71 - 90, 2002
There is no science that has guaranteed contours. This is borne out by the general conditions und... more There is no science that has guaranteed contours. This is borne out by the general conditions under which, since the middle of the nineteenth century, university research and teaching have been developed in Low German philology. It is particularly the recent methodological differentiation in the area of general literary science that shows that Lower German literary sciences will not be able to re-establish themselves fundamentally in the context of the current research development of their subject matter. While the linguistically oriented Low German philology participates in the theorious discussion of modern dialectology, the research stage of the literature of the Low German literature has not really gone beyond traditional hermeneutic approaches in the last thirty years. This is only an indication that the innovation pressure on the compartment is not exactly the same.
Sprache, Literatur, Raum. Fs. für Willy Diercks, S. 693 - 741, 2015
This essay desribes pernitent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized ... more This essay desribes pernitent attitudes towards Low German that have only rarely been recognized due to their seeming marginality. Low German, after it had lived on in a socially determined orality since the Early Modern period, is finally no longer suitable for everyday use in the Modern period. With the changes and the loss of Low German dialects, High German becomes the dominant language of northern Germany. Yet, in the middle of the 19th. century Klaus Groth takes the dialect as the supposedly old language of the Volk, writes it down anew, and literalizes it. This leads nationally conservative groups to discover Low German as a cource of collective identity, and in the waake of this language myth, Low German Linguistic is established as a scholary discipline. This development is one of the reasons why the so-called Low German movement at the beginning of the 20th. century can refer to völkisch ideas of self and other and is thus able to establish the medialized dialects as untouchable cultural heritage. A closely-knit Low German network produces a „meaningful branding“ for moribund varieties throughout all eyes. At the beginning of the 21th. century, Low German is to beconserved anew as a symbol of collective identity an in the name of an „ethnic revival“. To this end, the old language myth is reanimated. As a „Low German regional language“ the varieties – the natural changes of which the lobbyists ignore – are placed under the protection of a European language charter. This legal instrument is implicitly anti-modern because it only protects autochthonous language forms and continues to marginalize the extant varieties produced by migrants.
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The Toepfer-sponsored scientists and cultural workers were part of an institutional network that pursued the subversive goals of a cross-border "Germanism policy". The scope of Toepfer's political influence in the course of the twentieth century has only been revealed in recent decades. The contribution is the critical conclusion of a research project and outlines the entire spectrum of Toepfer's activities within the framework of a national political concept.
The Toepfer-sponsored scientists and cultural workers were part of an institutional network that pursued the subversive goals of a cross-border "Germanism policy". The scope of Toepfer's political influence in the course of the twentieth century has only been revealed in recent decades. The contribution is the critical conclusion of a research project and outlines the entire spectrum of Toepfer's activities within the framework of a national political concept.