Joachim Bröcher und Lissa Eichert-Klute

E-Book, published open access on ResearchGate, March 16, 2025:

This study reconstructs the history of the Chreschten family in the village of Ottfingen in South Westphalia. The focus is on Josef Eichert, a miner born in 1874, whose life ended prematurely due to his work in the mines. The study then takes a closer look at the life of his wife Maria and, representative of the family's eleven children, the life stories of Rosa and Johann. While Rosa, born in 1901, followed the path of a woman of that time, she gained access to other worlds by reading novels, which was rather atypical for her background. In the course of her life, Rosa developed a personality from which there is much to learn for our present day as well. Johann, born in 1905, was one of the few from his social class to attend a renowned grammar school, thanks to the support of his primary school teacher. The early death of his father put an end to his education due to a lack of financial resources. He found fulfillment in civil society leadership roles and offices, including as an honorary mayor of the municipality of Wenden. In recognition of his lifetime achievements, Johann was named an honorary citizen of the southwestern community. These life stories are narrated in a fanned-out fashion, including their interweaving with the events of contemporary history. Everything is interconnected: the social class we come from, the respective social, political, cultural and economic realities, our educational and career opportunities, our life possibilities and the role of fate, which additionally intervenes in everything. Context, goal, and theoretical framework: Reconstruction of the history of a miner's family from South Westphalia, incorporating sociological, philosophical, historical and literary references. Relevant aspects are the precarious living conditions and the difficult access to education for the lower social classes, the sometimes life-threatening working conditions of men in mining, and the intertwining of life stories with the political, social and economic conditions of Wilhelmine Germany, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the post-war period. Methods: Intergenerational dialogue; narrative exploration and investigation; document analysis, cultural mapping; historical reconstruction; supplemented by the methods of conjecture and imagination, in order to be able to narrate the findings in a coherent way.

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