Danube on Thames

The New Eastenders

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  • Germany/Austria
    • Summer School 2017
      • Herzlich willkommen!
      • Welche sprache sprichst du?… Deutsch!!
      • The Austrian Roma
      • Ataman : Der Filmemacher
      • AUSTRIAN HOMECOMING IN LONDON
      • Concluding Remarks
      • Documentary
    • Summer School 2016
      • Battling Mother Nature, Battering Oneself
      • British Humour vs German Humour
      • German Football – Between Sport and Culture
      • German- an angry language or a poor perception by non-native speakers
      • New Perspectives on Oktoberfest
      • The Film: ‘Jules…Brews: From Leipzig to London’
      • What Drives the German Car Industry
    • Summer School 2015
      • Austria and Germany – A Short History of Association and Separation
      • Austrian Cuisine (Österreichische Küche) and its Habsburg tradition
      • German Cuisine (Deutsch Küche) – Local history and global fame
      • Germans further down the Danube
      • Germany/Austria – The Film 2015
      • Gründerzeit
      • How far do mascots travel?
      • Oktoberfest – a global phenomenon between tradition and local community
      • The issue of German guilt, responsibility and atonement
      • The local source of the interconnecting Danube
      • Vienna – the Danubian Capital of Music
      • Viennese Coffeehouse Culture in Europe
    • Summer School 2014
      • Am Quell Der Donau
      • Austria in London – Short film about Peter at Newcomer Wines
      • Austrian Cuisine
      • Danube School
      • Danube-on-Thames Interactive Map
      • Donausagen – Legends of the Danube
      • German Accents and Dialects
      • German and Austrian Food in London
      • German is Fun
      • The Blue Danube
      • The Danube Strategy – Reflections
      • Welcome to the Danube Region of Germany/Austria!
    • Summer School 2013
  • Slovakia
    • Slovakia Team 2013
    • Slovakia Team 2017
      • Fujara- Slovakia’s Beloved Instrument
      • Roma Communities in Slovakia
      • Slovak Personalities
        • Milan Rastislav Štefánik
        • Vojtech Gerster (Bela Gerster)
        • Vambery Armin
      • Slovakia 2017- Short
      • Our Log Book
        • Day 1
        • Day 2
        • Day 3
        • Day 4
        • Day 5
        • Day 6
        • Day 7- Foreigner Talks
        • Day 7
        • Day 8
      • afterPhuricane
      • Bratislava Night Life
      • Time For Slovak Litearture
      • Programme Finale
    • Slovakia Team 2014
      • Čechomor
      • Hudba – Music, a brief historical reflection
      • Jana Kirschner
      • Jedlo – Food
      • Poézie – Poetry
      • Slovakia’s forgotten Roma
      • Slovakia- the “Little Big Country”
      • Slovenské knihy – Slovak Books
      • Speaking Slovak
      • Sústava vodných diel Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros – Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros Dams
      • The making of: A canvas of two cities
      • Vexing Vexillology
      • Vitajte na Slovensku – Welcome to Slovakia
      • Zuzana – a true Global Citizen
    • Slovakia Team 2015
      • A Cultural Travel Guide to Bratislava!
      • Film: Slovaks in London
      • From South East Asia to the Danube: A personal reflection
      • Hokej je zábava – to najlepšie zo sveta (Hockey is fun – the best in the world)
      • Jozef Urban – a Poet
      • Log Book: Slovakia Summer School 2015
      • slovenské ľudové rozprávky – Slovak folk tales
      • Tracking the Changing Façade of the Bratislavský Hrad
    • Slovakia Team 2016
      • 17 Places you may go in Bratislava
      • Euro 2016: Slovakia’s chances
      • FILM Slovakian Group
      • How much do you know about Slovakia?
      • Peter Sagan – The Slovak Sensation
      • Slovak Embassy Summer Garden Party
      • Taking a peek at Slovak History
      • The Migrant Life – A Conundrum?
  • Hungary
    • Summer School 2015
      • A journey through Hungarian music – from Liszt to Locomotiv.
      • Brighter smiles – Dental tourism in Hungary
      • Budapest and its Historical Tourist Sites
      • Dark times: Selected literature by Hungarians of the last century
      • Paddling Upstream? Trial and Triumphs for LGBT citizens in Hungary
      • The ‘new orange’ and the rise of the Hungarian Film industry
      • ‘Words are all we have’ – A Hungarian linguist in London
    • Summer School 2016
      • Animated characters of Hungary
      • Film Group Hungarian
      • Hung(a)ry? Try this!
      • O.M.G. It’s Vowel Harmony: A Peek into Hungarian Phonology
      • Why was the Chain Bridge in Budapest so important?
    • Summer School 2017
      • De meni ritten szaundsz of Hungárien
      • Enikö
      • Erdély története
      • Filming [a documentary] on the Danube.
      • Globális állampolgárság
      • Híres magyarországi romák
      • Hungarian Education System
      • Isaac Edward Salkinson – Jewish Life among the Danube
      • Jó étvágyat kivánok
      • Last Hurrah
      • Magyar filmek
      • Magyarok vagyunk!
      • Traces of the Danube in Venice
      • Tudomány és technológia Magyarországon
    • Summer School 2014
      • Summer School 2014
        • “A Proud People with a Proud Language”
        • A Brief Sketch of Hungarian History
        • Current Political Situation in Hungary
        • Encapsulating the Nation
        • Geography
        • Interactive Map Danube on Thames
        • Intercultural Interaction and Music
        • Robert Czibi: A Film Portrait
        • Sport in Hungary
        • “An ambassador of the West”
    • Summer School 2013
  • Serbia
    • Summer School 2015
      • Privilege, Poverty, and Global Citizenship
      • Serbia And The EU
      • The Iron Gates
      • The Role of Splavs in Serbian Culture
      • Yugo-Nostalgia
    • Summer School 2016
      • Dragons in Serbian Mythology
      • One Language, Two Alphabets
      • Protecting the Danube
    • Summer School 2017
      • Boyash Pockets
      • Glazba to My Ears
      • Njam, njam!
      • Roma Rejection in Serbia
      • SOULFOOD – Serbian Group Documentary
    • Summer School 2013
    • Summer School 2014
      • Dositej Obradovic’s voyage towards Serbian Unity via London
      • My First Encounter of the Danube
      • Roksanda Ilinčić – Danubian Fashion and Fusion in London
      • Serbia in London
      • Serbia in London – The Church of St. Sava a short video
      • Serbian Food in London: “only meat and spice, not like American hot dogs.”
      • Serbian Writer Miloš Crnjanski: Global Citizen who believed we are all connected
      • The Mekong and the Danube: Rivers and Friendships?
      • The Serbian Alphabet: Cyrillic and Latin
      • Thoughts on “Up, Down and Across the River; The Danube through Travellers’ Eyes”
      • Tijana Tasich: Why I Miss the Danube
      • Welcome to Serbia
  • Romania
    • Arhitectura și secretele sale
    • Constantin Brâncuși: The Endless Column/ The Column without End
    • Fairy Tales as a Matter of Life and Death
    • New Art, New Romania
    • Romania Summer School 2016
      • Conflicts along the flumen danuuius: Trajan’s excursions into Dacia
      • Film Group Romania
      • Romanian cuisine
      • Romanian Folk Music
      • Romania’s Greatest Games – The 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
      • Roumania, Roumania: Jewish Life in Romania
    • Romanian Cinema: The ‘New Wave’
    • Romanian Rose
    • Summer School 2015
      • Romania’s Diverse Culinary Tradition
      • Romanian Music!
      • Travelling in Romania
      • Visiting Romania
      • Youth Culture in Romania
    • The Film!
    • Toil and Trouble: Romanian Witches and the Threat to Their Riches
    • Summer School 2013
    • Summer School 2014
      • “Would Romanians Vote for Ceaușescu If He Were Alive Today?” A Review by Joseph Lambert
      • Dracula and Vlad the Impaler
      • Final Reflections on Global Citizenship
      • Forgetting in Construction of Social Identity
      • Interview with Carmen – Transcript
      • Romania and the Danube
      • Romania in London
  • Ukraine
    • Summer School 2015
      • A Short Overview of the Crimean History: The Crimean Tatars
      • Danube and Ukraine today
      • Novelist Eva Gata: A Revitalizing Force in Ukrainian Literature
      • The Perpetual Persecution of the Romani population, with a focus on Modern Ukraine
      • The Platform Ukraine Conference
      • The Ukrainian Vyshyvanka (Traditional Embroidered Shirt)
      • Ukrainian Folk Songs and the Danube
      • Ukrainian National Symbols
    • Summer School 2016: Ukraine
      • 1944 – Ukrainian victory at the Eurovision
      • A Patchwork of Identity
      • A person without friends is like a tree without roots
      • A week of Ukrainian with Marta
      • At the Crossroads: Bilingualism and National Identity in Ukraine
      • Film Ukrainian group
      • Taras Shevchenko and his legacy
      • The very too often forgotten Ukrainian Church just next to Bond Street
      • Ukrainian Buckwheat Patties: An Adventure in the Culinary Arts
      • Ukrainian Folk Song: The Night is so Moonlit: Ніч яка місячна
      • Visit Kiev!
    • Ukraine 2017
      • Contemporary Ukrainian Literature: Shevchenko, Suppression, and Success
      • Diversity within diversity – Hungarians speakers living in Ukraine
      • Evolution of Ukrainian Traditional Clothing
      • Roma in Ukraine: The Success of the Servitka Roma and Persisting Problems
      • The History of Cinema in Ukraine
      • Ukraine Group Film 2017
      • Ukrainian and Romani Traditional Food
      • Ukrainian Cossacks
      • Ukrainian Folklore
      • Visit Danube Delta
  • Bulgaria
    • Summer School 2017
      • Rivers & Rhythms – A documentary by the crew
      • Romani Culture Along the Danube
      • Romani History Along the Danube
      • The History of the Cyrillic Script in Bulgaria
      • Hello everyone!
      • Bartók’s Bulgarian Rhythms
      • Danube: A History of Highways and Floods
      • Why is there a lack of integration and opportunities for Roma people in Bulgaria?
      • The Danube and Its Metaphors
      • Conversation with Aleks Roussinov
      • Greetings from the Danubian city Ruse: by Gergana Marincheva
      • Our Dining Experience at the Sunny Beach Restaurant
      • Visit to the Church & Embassy
      • Our exhibition during UCL’s Festival of Culture
    • Summer School 2016
      • 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Bulgaria
      • A view of Bulgarian mountains
      • Bulgaria! Bulgaria! Bulgaria!
      • BULGARIA: TRANSITION FROM SOVIET STATE TO EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY
      • Bulgarian literature in the UK
      • Bulgarian Orthodoxy
      • Communism, Democracy, and Globalisation in Millennial Bulgaria
      • Film Bulgarian Group
      • How much do you know about Bulgaria?
      • Love for languages
      • The Dodo, the Quagga, the Danube Sturgeon and Us – Can You Spot the Pattern?
      • The Economy of Bulgaria
      • The Four River Gods of Piazza Navona in Rome
    • Summer School 2015
    • Summer School 2014
      • Bulgaria in London
      • Damyanka Story: From Sofia to London
      • Emil’s amazing life and his perspective on Bulgaria
      • Interviewing and filming
      • Introducing the Bulgarian film crew
      • Reflecting on language…
      • Test your knowledge of Bulgaria!!!
      • The Bulgarian alphabet: Българската азбука
      • Twentieth Century Bulgarian Intellectuals and Writers in London… SSEES Lecture
    • Summer School 2013
  • Yiddish Danube on Thames
    • Summer School 2015
      • From Danube to London: Yiddish Everyday Life
      • Interactive Map of Yiddish London
      • Interactive Timeline of Yiddish History in London
      • Kosher Food in London
      • Last Yiddish Class: Thank you Lily!
      • Log Book: Yiddish Summer School 2015
      • Selection of Yiddish Proverbs
      • Sigmund Freud: Global Citizen
      • The Element of Yiddishness – A Treatise
      • The Yid army- Proud representatives of London Jews, or offensive anachronism?
      • The Yiddish Group at the UnConference: Report
      • Wealthy French Cows, Global Citizenship and Why We Should Stay in the EU
      • Yiddish among the Stream of languages along the Danube
      • Yiddish art in London: A game of hide and seek
      • Yiddish Music in London
      • Yiddish Theatre
      • Summer School 2015
      • The Yiddish Language
    • Yiddish Danube on Thames 2016
      • An interview with Barry Davis, our Yiddish language teacher
      • An Orthodox Jew in a modern world
      • Anecdotes from Shalvata
      • Final Film Project: We Won’t Let Anybody Push Us Down
      • In Or Out? The EU Referendum and Global Citizenship
      • Jewish life (and death) along the river Danube
      • Notes from the Field: Klezmer Music
      • Singing With the Whole Body
      • Where East meets West?
      • Yiddish and Romany: Two Stateless Languages
      • Yiddish in Translation: From Oral Tradition to Literature
      • Yiddish Loanwords in Dutch: A Sociolinguistic Perspective on Yiddish
      • Yiddish Tango
    • Yiddish Summer School 2017
      • A Global Heritage – Music has No Boundaries
      • A Very Brief History of Yiddish
      • Documentary: Izzy Posen’s Exodus from the Shtetl
      • Global Citizens & Strangers At Home: Reflections On Two Weeks of the Global Citizenship Programme
      • Life outside the Shtetl : excommunication from the Hasidic Jewish community
      • The Task of Translating: Domestication or Foreignization?
      • The Wiener Library
  • Interactive map of the Danube

Home

This is the website of Challenging Europe ‘Intercultural Interaction’ Summer School of the UCL Global Citizenship Programme. Read our manifesto ‘Why Challenging Europe” below, read our log book, have a look at the work of our language groups or finds us on twitter @UCL_Europe

Danube-on-Thames: The New Eastenders

Historically, the region through which the Danube flows has been a region of extraordinary cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity. The realm of Empires (the Ottoman and Habsburg) that were multi-, rather than mono- ethnic, this was a region that did not care much for neat borders that separated one group of people from another. Here, you used to be able to find Serbian villages dotted in what was otherwise Slovak countryside, German- and Yiddish-speaking towns wedged between Romanian and Hungarian villages, pockets of Turks and other Muslims, Christians of all denominations (Orthodox, Catholic and varieties of Protestants) living across the region, and everywhere settlements of Germans (the so-called Danube Swabians or Saxons) as well those Danubian cosmopolitans, Jews, both Sephardim and Ashkenazim, and different groups of Roma. A good, even clichéd image, of this cultural and ethnic plurality, as drawn, for example, by the Austrian writer, Joseph Roth, could be found in the classic Danubian café with its hubbub and chatter in many languages, its newspapers on sticks in German, Hungarian and Romanian, its Romany band playing music that draww on a complex fusion of musical traditions, its Jewish doctor playing chess with a Christian lawyer.

Today, much of this diversity has gone. The collapse of the multi-ethnic empires and the endeavour to create single-nation states, particularly following the First World War, started to tidy up the region and sorted people into national boxes. This process was continued in a much more violent way with the murder of most of the Danube’s Jews and a significant part of its Romany communities in the horrors of the Second World War. After the Second World War, this violence continued with the expulsion of the bulk of Germans from ‘non-German’ national territory – and also, to an extent, the removal of Hungarians from the more-spread out territories that they had previously occupied. The raising of the Iron Curtain along the banks of the Danube, between Communist (Czecho)Slovakia and Hungary and capitalist Austria and between Communist Romania and non-aligned Yugoslavia, dealt another serious blow to the Danube as a site of intercultural flow. Most recently, the ‘ethnic cleansing’ that accompanied the Balkan Wars of the 1990s was a further step in the homogenization of the Danubian region.

The result is that the Danubian interculturality that this Summer School seeks to explore is not necessarily best explored on the banks of the Danube itself. Where then to look for it? As is often the case when trying to think globally, it is best to start by thinking locally. Since the fall of the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe in 1989, with the flow of refugees from the Balkans in the 1990s, and now since the accession of most of the Danubian countries to the European Union (Slovakia and Hungary 2004, Bulgaria and Romania 2007, and Croatia 2013), migration from the Danubian region to the United Kingdom has been substantial. These migrations to the UK added to the already pre-existing Danubian communities that arrived over the course of the 20th century. The result of this is that, in particular, it is now possible to speak of a Danubian London. In London today, according to the office of the Mayor of London, there live nearly 175,000 Londoners who were born in the core eight Danubian countries.

Here, in this great city of dazzling diversity, Danubians mingle once again: Hungarians sip coffee in Austrian cafés, Bulgarian waiters serve the Easter lamb in Romanian restaurants, a Serbian Gypsy orchestra plays to an audience that includes enthused Germans and Slovaks. Of course, this Danubian city is only one interlocking part of a myriad of other plural Londons and the new Danubian Londoners are learning about and contributing to the interculturality of all Londoners, their British-Bengali, Polish, Chinese, English, Irish or Somali neighbours.

Our cruise

In this part of the GC Danube Summer School, we are aiming to imagine and explore Danubian London. But first to imagine, to conduct an optical and spatial thought-experiment: half-closing our eyes, we are trying to superimpose the well-known (at least to the millions of UK residents who watch Eastenders) curves of the Thames, as it passes through London, onto the cultural landscape of the Danube from the Black Forest to the Black Sea. Or, alternatively: we are trying to superimpose the long and winding course of the Danube, from its beginnings as a bubbling mountain stream to its stately meandering as a vast river in its lower reaches, onto the urban and suburban sprawl of London, from well-heeled Richmond to the lunar landscape of the far Eastern docklands. Danube-on-Thames. London-on-Danube.

We shall map this New Danubian London, this new and imaginary Royal and Imperial Borough of Danube-on-Thames. We shall get to know its diverse citizens, where they work, where they talk, where they drink coffee, beer, slivovice or rakija, where they worship their gods. We shall talk to them – in their own languages as well as in the lingua franca of London, so-called English. We aim to find out about their aspirations, their disappointments, what they are taking from their new environment and what they are bringing to it. We shall explore their experiences of intercultural interaction – whether as intercultural friction or intercultural flow – both here and in the Danubian region. We shall discuss questions of national, regional, metropolitan, and global identity. Ultimately, we are interested in the relationship between learning to live together as citizens of (Danubian) London and learning to live together as global citizens. To do this, we shall use a mixture of media (short films, podcasts and interviews, blog entries, psycho-geographic and creative writing, photographic diaries and essays) where we shall also reflect on our own engagement in and co-citizenship of London, this global city.

Recent log entries

  • Day 8 – Romanian Group – Sharing our curiosity June 8, 2017
  • Sailing on the Danube with the Hungarians – Day 8 June 8, 2017
  • Day 8 – German Group June 8, 2017
  • Day 8 Bulgaria June 8, 2017
  • Day 7 with the Bulgarians: The Panel, Exhibition and ‘A Taste of Freedom’ June 8, 2017
  • Ukraine Day 8 June 8, 2017
  • Yiddish Log 4 – Trip to Golders Green June 8, 2017
  • Day 8 in the Serbian Group June 8, 2017
  • Day 7- German Group June 8, 2017
  • Day 7 – Romania Group: ‘Foreigner Talk’ Workshop, Student Panel and the opening of the Festival of Culture Exhibition June 7, 2017

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