The German Nationality of Celje and the Problem of National Identity

Abstract

Though from the aspect of everyday life we can not speak of existance of independent German and Slovene culture, which are said to differ from each other and are even in a hierarchic relation, the culture and language (as its symbol) are on ideological level the most important elements of the national identity of the German nationality of Celje for a long time. Along with the increased feeling of being threatened because of the changes of existant relations of social power to the detriment of the still dominant German nationality, some other elements (origin, history), earlier playing not exactly a visible role, are more and more coming in the fore.