What does it mean to feel “at home” in a place, and why does that matter for democracy? In this episode, historian Jeremy DeWaal talks about Heimat, a German word that is famously hard to translate. It is often rendered as “home” or “homeland”, but it also points to a deeper sense of belonging, memory and emotional attachment to specific places. Drawing on his book Geographies of Renewal: Heimat and Democracy in West Germany, 1945–1990 (Cambridge University Press), DeWaal explores different meanings of Heimat and explains how Heimat shaped post-war debates about democracy, federalism and Europe.
The conversation also looks at the role of expellee politics and the Anti-Heimat movement of the 1960s, and connects these histories to current debates about identity, migration, and nationalism. The discussion concludes with a reflection on what the history of Heimat can reveal about the politics of place today.
Jeremy DeWaal is a Senior Lecturer in European History at the University of Exeter and Royal History Society Fellow. His research focuses on German cultural history, spatial history, memory, and the history of emotions. Geographies of Renewal is his first book, his second book project will examine the radical re-invention of the Carnival tradition in German-speaking Europe across the longue durée.
The interview was conducted by Alexandra Kardos. Alina Young edited the audio file.
