Heimat, Nation, Fatherland

The terms Heimat, nation, or fatherland have had such controversial histories that they elude all attempts at a one-dimensional definition. Over the course of modern German history, Heimat has come to mean virtually anything: a romantic nostalgia for preindustrial conditions; a conservative emphasis on various attributes; a feeling of ecological responsibility for a particular region; an aversion for the ugliness brought about by industry; a glorification of the German peasantry as the wellspring of national health; and much more. The contributions to this volume critically examine selected aspects of these concepts, including eighteenth-century patriotism, attitudes of German-Americans, German-Jewish understanding of Heimat, the Heimatschutz movement, Nazi appropriations of history, the Heimat film, Heidegger's and Adorno's notions of Heimat, and German geopolitics.