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sir Previšić, professor of literature and cultural studies at the University of Lucerne and head of the Uri Institute “Cultures of the Alps”. What are the “cultures of the Alps” and why plural?
Geology and geographic orientation determine, among other things, the culture of individual places. For example, Ticino faces south, while other places are more French or German-Swiss. This affects not only language but also cultural techniques such as agriculture. There is not only one “Alpine culture”. And there are other big differences between individual locations.
Can you name it specifically?
Many mountain regions are isolated. But they are also dependent on exchange, either precisely because of this distance or because in many places mountain passes were formerly trade routes. This results in an exciting, diverse mix of seclusion and cosmopolitanism.
To what extent do the Alps shape the national identity of all of Switzerland?
Very strong. It began as early as the Enlightenment, or rather, in 1729, with the poem “The Alps”, which Albrecht von Haller rewrote many times throughout his life. He tries to capture the beauty of our mountains and the characteristics of our culture in 47 continents in poetry. And also, interestingly, he uses the term “gold” as a kind of profanity – again a reference to “Alpine” culture.
But doesn’t Switzerland have a very close relationship with gold?
Yes, but not necessarily in the Alpine region. The colder the climatic conditions in a country, the more social the cultures tend to be – people are very dependent on mutual aid. This is still reflected today: Scandinavian societies, for example, are more socially progressive than we are. But there are other connections with the Swiss spirit and the mountains.
Whichto?
Psychologically speaking, our mountains also mean protection. You can see this in national defense concepts developed in Switzerland during the Second World War. The so-called “reduit to Reduit” are various bunkers in the Alps where the army must retreat in an emergency. Or the spiritual defense of the country, which, among other things, exalts the image of the upright, strong, freedom-loving mountain man. Our Alps also flocked during the epidemic: many people fled the cities because they felt safer in the relative seclusion of the mountains.
So what does it mean for the Swiss soul that our mountains crumble and whole villages slide down?
Every culture is defined, among other things, by the landscape in which it was born and moved. We have internalized our mountains as symbols of “eternal”, permanence. This is deceptive. It’s not just our glaciers that’s melting, it’s not just the permafrost that’s melting, which is making rocks more unstable in general. Prolonged droughts and subsequent heavy rains cause even faster erosion of steep slopes. With a rapid change in climatic conditions, entire landscapes can change relatively quickly, upending everything that has been considered natural for hundreds of years.
A time of crisis is always a time of great leaps in innovation. Do you see anything related to the Alpine region?
We are world class when it comes to systems for early detection of geological events such as rockfalls and landslides. Otherwise, what worries me is that we lag behind the events compared to neighboring countries.
Can you give a specific example?
During the dry summer last year, the entire Valais forest dried up completely. Forests consist of pine trees. A spark would have been enough and entire slopes would burst into flames like explosions. The fire department would not be equipped to fight such a forest fire. And such fires will come. We urgently need to learn lessons from France and Italy, which are far ahead of us in dealing with such events.
Source : Blick
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
