The view from the border: a comparative study of autonomism in Alsace and the Moselle, 1918–29
This article offers a comparative analysis of the origins and development of autonomism in interwar Alsace and the Moselle. Upon the liberation of the provinces in November 1918, the local populations of Alsace and the Moselle enthusiastically welcomed French troops. For President Raymond Poincare´ this enthusiasm constituted a clear ‘plebiscite’. But, in light of perceived heavy-handedness on the part of the new French rulers, this enthusiasm proved short-lived and rapidly gave way to a widespread malaise. In response to local fears for the preservation of their distinctive social, linguistic and religious traditions, Autonomist organisations emerged to oppose the loss of what they perceived to be the soul and character of Alsace and the Moselle. They rapidly became a pervasive force in local politics, cutting across ideological and class barriers and dividing parties. For the French government, autonomism represented a serious threat to national unity. For local autonomists, however, it represented an attempt to preserve local socio-economic structures and linguistic and cultural practices. The discussion here seeks to reposition autonomism within the context of local politics and to compare the distinct experiences of Alsace and the Moselle in the decade after their return to French rule.
“Playing with the Border:” Alsatian Sports Societies and Alsace’s Problematic Return to France after the First World War
ABSTRACT Annexed by the Germans in 1870, the Alsace region returned to France in 1918. Following a triumphal welcome for French troops, the Alsatians began timidly to showcase their new nationality after 47 years of German presence. In a country that promoted anti-Germanism, laying claim to German heritage on the political or professional scene was impossible. The situation was quite different however in the field of sport, which cultivated contradictions by playing on its neutral and apolitical image. Local sports associations maintained a special relationship with the border, characterized by porosity with regard to Germany and the partitioning of the French or even Alsatian side. Such ambiguous positioning led them to hesitate between two different approaches: either adopt a public position proclaiming their commitment to the Republic or take an infrapolitical stand and “play with the new borders.” The paper studies this phenomenon through the monograph of the rowing club “Cercle Nautique de Strasbourg.”
The Female Face of God in Auschwitz: A Jewish Feminist Theology of the Holocaust
Introduction 1. Reading Post-Holocaust Theology from a Feminist Perspective 2. The Hiding of God's Face in Auschwitz 3. Feminist Intimations of the Holy in Auschwitz 4. Face to Face (with God) in Auschwitz 5. A Mother/God in Auschwitz 6. The Redemption of God in Auschwitz 7. The Princess and the City of Death: A Feminist Maaseh, after Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. Notes. Select Glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish Terms