whether he wanted to belong to the Czech or the German nationality and could have his name
entered in the corresponding Czech or German national register („Nationalkataster“). This
decision in turn influenced his political and social actions to a considerable degree. A decisive
advantage of this concept (devised on the basis of similar concepts in the area of religious
affiliation) was the neutralisation or at least reduction of the struggle about „linguistic borders“
that had poisoned political life until then.
Since more than 90% of the states represented in the UN are multi-ethnic, multinational and
often multi-denominational as well, the basic concepts of the „Mährischer Ausgleich“ of 1905
have considerable importance for the present and the future.
Steffen Renner
Did the English try to destroy the Welsh language in fighting Owain GlyndWr?
In describing the events of the year 1401, Adam of Usk mentions how the people of
Cardiganshire were allowed to keep their language in spite of a royal decree to destroy Welsh.
As no such decree seems to have existed, the circumstances that could have caused the
chronicler’s false assumption are analysed. First the paper gives a brief outline of Welsh history
since the Norman conquest of England and proceeds with a description of life and career of
Owain GlyndwT. In dealing with the Welsh rising, attention is drawn to numerous alliances
between Welsh and English in disregard of the language division. The aims of the Commons
are analysed and compared with the aims of the government in regard to the rising. Further, it is
shown that the survival of Welsh law well into the sixteenth century was possible only with the
active support of the rulers of both the Principality of Wales and the Marches. Thus it is
established that Welsh was accepted even in formal dealings between the two people. While it
can be shown that no serious attempt was made to vanquish Welsh, language as such was an
important topic in political dispute during the early years of the rising: Owain Glyndwr was
repeatedly accused of aiming at the destruction of English by both high-ranking English
officials and the English people of the border shires. The paper argues that threats against the
opponents’ language may be interpreted as expressions of extreme hostility and may - in the
case of the English - have been used to draw nationwide support for a hard-pressed
government.
Alexander Ritter
BORDERS BETWEEN CULTURES AND TEXTUAL HISTORY: ON THE CONDITIONS FOR AND THE
PROBLEMS OF DEALING WITH GERMAN LITERATURE OF THE DIASPORA
The development of minority literatures is a complex process. Production and reception are a
result of the impact that diverse historical-political, geographical-economic, lingual-cultural and
demographic-sociological conditions have on the author. He is continually confronted with the
different, interfering cultures of the nation he lives in, the minority he is part of and the heritage
of his ancestors’ country. Because of these divergent and convergent circumstances, the
conception of literature deals with a multiplied reading society, additionally complicated by
sociological structures. Writing literary history as part of history writing involves dealing with
these suppositions regarding the modem debate on the theory of literary history and history
writing. Especially facts such as identity of culture, historical consciousness, heritage and so
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