Unsettling, setting out, breaking through

As part of the project Grenzgeschichten (border/boundary/limitation narratives) at the Forschungszentrum für historische Minderheiten (Research center for historical minorities), school students discussed visible and invisible boundaries/borders—key terms here are ›boundaries of the mind‹ and ›fortress Europe‹—, the effects they have on different areas of everyday life and the (im)possibilities of overcoming them. The project considers transnational perspectives, which have long had a major impact on the everyday lives of youth, although they are rarely ever mentioned in school. The participating youth were asked to negotiate the theme and meaning of ›borders, boundaries and frontiers‹ in their everyday lives, in history, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, in migration society, within European border regimes and supranational border politics.

Working with documents, images and artwork, the participants dealt with the connections between boundaries, borders, rules, structures and social power relations. Political demands, critical questions and visual narratives were discussed using artistic and activist strategies. The project was realized in collaboration with artists Petja Dimitrova and Can Gülcü.

Project leader: Nora Sternfeld
Project team: Renate Höllwart
Acknowledgements: Regina Wonisch