Vom Nutzen des Erinnerns. Über Landesgeschichte als Zukunftsvorsorge

Schleswig-Holstein (Danish Slesvig-Holsten) has been a marginal and marginalized part of all German nation states in their succession ever since its annexation in 1864/1867. This article - a sequel to "Vom Nutzen des Vergessens. Schleswig-Holsteins Landesmittelalter" (2005) taking into account recent developments - investigates the impact the region's recent 'German' past and present has on the study, and above all the dissemination and teaching, of its regional history, and discusses present-day politics and economics (exploitation of raw material, brain drain, infrastructural negligence) in terms of "interior colonialism". It concludes that a stronger focus on regional (instead of national) history in teaching, curricula etc. on the part of regional institutions might help strengthen regional economics and stop emigration especially of the young and well educated, but is unlikely to occur for precisely these reasons.