Leisure under Control? – The Politicization of Amusement Cultures in the Multiethnic Cities of Warsaw, Poznań and Lviv 1890-1914

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Maren Röger
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 521211855

Amusement cultures became an integral part of urban life around 1900. While numerous studies on this topic address cities of Western Europe, amusement cultures are only a marginal phenomenon in research on Eastern European cities. Increasingly regulated working hours were accompanied by an "expansion of amusement": variety theaters, music cafes, cinemas, air shows, racing events and circuses flourished and offered the city dwellers a wide range of ways to spend their non-working hours. So far, research has focused primarily on opera houses and national theaters and their role in nationalization processes. Previously existing narratives of national conflicts were thus reproduced. Without the integration of amusement cultures, I argue, a very important part of everyday life is missing in the historiography of Eastern European cities. Their integration can help redefine the image of these cities around 1900. The planned project aims at studying the wide range of urban amusement cultures in Warsaw, Poznań and Lviv. Approaching urban everyday life through the lens of amusement cultures promises to open up new perspectives on urban public spheres and communication in urban spaces. The central question is to what extent political conflicts in the multi-ethnic cities of Warsaw, Poznań and Lviv affected everyday urban life. The media-mediated charging of public urban spaces, primarily by nationalist actors, and the reception of this appropriation by the urban public become the focus of attention. Thus, spatial regimes and conflict narratives dominating in the historiography of these cities are being scrutinized.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants