Transylvanian Saxons - A Portrait.
A multilingual and multimedia publication
With this book and online project, we aim to reach all
Transylvanian Saxons, as well as the public interested in Transylvania and the
Transylvanian Saxon cultural heritage. It is intended to serve as both an analog
and digital "business card" of Transylvanian Saxons worldwide.
In addition to the multimedia publication, the multilingual approach is another
unique feature. Many descendants of Transylvanian Saxons, some of whom have
lived in the USA and Canada since the late 19th century, now speak English as
their primary language. Furthermore, English is now the lingua franca, so Transylvanian Saxon cultural
heritage can only be optimally integrated into global public discourse through
adequate translations into English.
The preservation of Transylvanian-Saxon cultural heritage,
a significant part of which remains in Transylvania, relies heavily on
cooperation between Romanian society and the Romanian
state. Consequently, high-quality translations into Romanian play a
crucial role.
With this in mind, the book and online project will be published in
three languages: German, as the original language of the
community; English, for international accessibility; and
Romanian, to foster regional
cooperation in Transylvania.
The following specific goals will be pursued:
- The first section, "Transylvanian Saxons – The Development
of a Centuries-Old Community", explores the settlement history of
the Transylvanian Saxons and Transylvanian Landlers
in the region. It provides a historical overview from the first
waves of migration in the 12th century to the large-scale
exodus at the end of the 20th century.
- The second part is dedicated to Transylvanian-Saxon
cultural heritage. It first examines the tangible
and then the intangible cultural assets ("invisible
baggage"). The diverse dimensions of the Transylvanian-Saxon community, its
culture, and its identity are highlighted, offering insights into the community’s
traditions, identity, and cultural dimensions that have shaped its
legacy.
- The third section, "Assessing the Current Situation and
Future Perspectives," examines the state of the community in the
21st century. It first outlines the current
organizational structures within associations, foundations, and
neighborhoods. This section then explores future challenges
and
opportunities
in preserving and adapting Transylvanian Saxon
cultural heritage, particularly in the evolving landscape of
generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
Here is the preliminary table of contents:
-
Introduction to Transylvanian Saxons:
Settlement in Transylvania,
Migration from Transylvania, Shaping the Future in
the new locations
I. Transylvanian Saxons: A Community Forged Over
Centuries
-
Maintaining independence despite changing
national affiliations.
An overview of a nearly 900-year history
-
Transylvanian Landlers
-
Legal traditions. The importance of the Adreanum for the community building
of the Transylvanian Saxons
-
Associations as Drivers of New Forms of Participation Since the 19th
Century: The Case of Transylvanian-Saxon Women’s Organizations
-
Religion and ecclesiastical history
-
Emigration and integration in America: Canada and the USA
-
Resettlement and Integration in Austria
-
The reasons for emigration and the integration process in Germany
- Deportation to the Soviet Union
- Persecution in Communist Romania
II. The Material and Immaterial Cultural
Heritage of the Transylvanian Saxons
-
Architecture and architects
-
Fortified churches of the Transylvanian Saxons
-
Economic achievements
-
Science and Technology
-
The school system of the Transylvanian Saxons
-
Transylvanian Art and Artists, then and now
-
Music in Transylvania and Transylvanian-Saxon musicians
-
Transylvanian-German literature and theatre
-
The dialect of the Transylvanian Saxons
-
Poetry in the mother tongue (dialect poetry)
-
Customs and community life
-
Transylvanian Saxon identity
-
Transylvanian-Saxon coats of arms and logos
III.
Assessing the Current Situation and Future Perspectives
-
The organizational structure of the Transylvanian-Saxon community today: associations, foundations
and neighborhoods
-
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) connects Transylvanian-Saxon
cultural heritage. Opportunities and threats for the appropriation,
preservation, and further development of Transylvanian-Saxon cultural
heritage in the age of GenAI
Articles on these topics
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