Abstract
In this paper, I examine a mid-19th-century Passengers’ Contract Ticket at the Wendish Museum Cottbus in Germany through the lens of new materialism. Underpinned by Tim Ingold’s notions of wayfaring and meshwork, the study focuses on gaining a better understanding into the contingent ensemble of things and events that made the search for a new home achievable to the Wendishi people. It employed a mixed approach to gather data, incorporating both primary sources, including the collections of Wendish Museum Cottbus, National Library of Australia’s Trove Archives and the Wendish Heritage Society in Australia, as well as secondary sources, such as previously published articles, books, journals and websites related to the Wendish migration. The analysis of the data included a literature review and archival analysis to provide a clear historical background and key determinants of the migration of Wendish people in the 19th century. Through these analyses, I explore how the migration of Wendish people was shaped by the interplay of political, socio-economic, technological, and material forces and how knowledge of a place was formed. By examining the lines on the ticket, this paper concludes that the ticket reveals the interconnections between the movements of both human and non-human entities across the continents. The migration of Wendish people can be considered as a line-making and story-telling endeavor, and the travelling paths and life stories of the ticket owner’s family and their forerunners can be regarded as lines of wayfaring.
Presenters
Hok Nang TamStudent, Masters in World Heritage Studies, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg, Brandenburg, Germany
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Ethnic Minority, Exodus, Maritime Technology, Wayfaring, Meshwork, New Materialism
