Paper short abstract:

History was and is utilised, communicated and materialized in the Fastnacht of south western Germany. The paper examines the separate and joint roles of pracitioners and folklore scholars in furthering the valuation and ritual revival of historical evidence.

Paper long abstract:

The German terms "urtümlich" and "altehrwürdig" (in the sense of "ancient" and "time-honoured") can be found in many self descriptions of carnival guilds in south-western Germany. To be affiliated with the most famous carnival guild, the Vereinigung Schwäbisch-Alemannischer Narrenzünfte, a guild has to provide evidence for its "long tradition" by archival evidence. The historical rootedness of ritual traditions and their associated objects obviously increase their worthiness. The employ of historical evidence shows itself in the material and immaterial implementation of the Fastnacht. Costumes and performances are (re)constructed on the basis of historical evidence. Folklorists have played a considerable role in supporting the carnival guilds' "reanimation and conservation of old traditions". But from the 1960's on, the practices of historical research as well as using history to justify and ennoble forms of tradition in general have been discussed more and more controversially.

How and in which way was and is history utilised and communicated in the Fastnacht? How does it materialize in and tie to the objectifications of this ritual? What role did folklore studies play in developing and discussing this valuation of history?

My sources are testimonials about the development of the Stockacher Narrenzunft (Carnival Guild of Stockach), whose main form of tradition - the so-called "Narrengericht" ("Jester's Court") - can allegedly be traced back to 1351. The meeting minutes and publications of the Tübinger Arbeitskreis für Fasnachtsforschung from the 1960's offer particular insights into the controversial negotiations about the usage of history in Fastnacht.