The Discursive Construction of Austrian National Identity - page 6
Keywords: German; Austrian; Linguistics; Sociolinguistics; discourse; identity; analysis
By sth202 on 25/09/2008
Level: Bachelor Honours Degree (BA, BEng, BSc etc)
Page Number: 6 of 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
an unfairly positive identity. She did not state this directly, but it is evident from reading my transcript that this is what one was intended to deduce. These feelings also represent the following points that Wodak et al discuss; “The ‘victim thesis’, which defines Austria as having been the first victim of Nazi Germany, occupied a central place in the construction of Austrian identity up to 1986” (1999: 5). I would argue with this statement, because I felt on several occasions, demonstrated above, that this thesis is also valid today and Nazism is still a problem factor relating to Austrian identity which remains in the hearts of the Austrians. Wodak et al additionally explain that “Austrians retain strong but ambivalent feelings towards the Germans, which is frequently expressed in anti-German resentment” (1999: 57). I did notice a few instances of this during the interview, though it was mainly related to the German Third Reich and the regret of Austria’s involvement therein. Otherwise I do not recall there being any mention of Germany itself.
From this we are led to the conclusion that Austrian national identity has been the subject of several particularly strong challenges (Wodak et al 1999). Although from reading the transcript one would get the impression that Nadine has a very positive opinion about her country, what is not said is also of interest. It is evident that past, present and future are important aspects in the construction of identity, and can also be problematic in defining what it means to be Austrian. There seems to me to always be a sense of regret over what has happened despite the wonderful world-renowned and loved culture that this nation has gained for itself. Since “identity is an ever-changing process” (De Fina 2003: 17), though, it is likely that these feelings may eventually change. As for how Nadine views herself, it seemed she was conveying a sense of Viennese identity rather than Austrian identity as a whole, though she did point out that she does not know how people from other cities would feel. I would say, however, that she has a stronger sense of being Viennese than Austrian, and this colours the way she feels about her country as a whole.
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Bibliography
Billig, M. (1995) Banal Nationalism, Sage Publications Ltd.
Cameron, D. (2001) Working With Spoken Discourse, Sage Publications
De Fina, A. (2003) Identity in Narrative, Amsterdam: Benjamins
Downes, W. (1998)
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