Invented Tradition

The term Invented Tradition was coined by historians Eric Hobsbawn and Terence Ranger. In 1983, they used it for the first time in their book The Invention Of Tradition.

Inventions of Modernity

Hobsbawn and Ranger state that many traditions are not ancient rites but turn out to be inventions of modernity: „Hobsbawn distinguishes invented tradition from custom on the one hand, convention and routine on the other. He does not mean to claim that every tradition is invented, for of course custom and custom, convention and routine are handed down, but when he speaks of the invention of tradition, this is a particular way of dealing with traditia, in that a traditum has a specific or ritual function.“ (Dittmann 2004, 61)

Historical function

How can a tradition be invented? An invented tradition is realized by choosing a specific point in the past and repeating language, gestures, as well as objects so often „until it is no longer possible to imagine that it was also once different.“ (Mancic 2012, 62) Thus, a tradition is constructed in the present and projected into the past. Accordingly, we can also speak of historical fiction.

For example, Scottish skirts, also called kilt, are thought to be an ancient tradition, but are actually an invention from the 19th century. Similarly, the Greek folk dance sytraki is not known until the mid-1960s. The vuvuzela, which became known especially through the World Cup and has since been considered a South African tradition, is also an invention from the modern era. The Bavarian dirndl was also not a festive garment in the past. It was originally worn by village maidens, which is why there are aprons on the traditional costumes today.

Functions

Invented traditions fulfill three functions: They generate authority, create a sense of belonging, and shape behavior. Invented traditions can also be divided according to these functions:

– Traditions that create collective identities.

– Traditions that form societies and legitimize value structures

– Traditions that integrate people into social groups

The noble savage – a beautiful illusion? can also be cited in this context: https://www.hyperkulturell.de/der-edle-wilde-eine-schoene-illusion/.

Literature

Hobsbawn, Eric/ Ranger, Terence (1983): The Invention Of Tradition. Bambridge: University Press.

Dittmann, Karsten (2004): Tradition und Verfahren: philosophische Untersuchungen zum Zusammenhang von kultureller Überlieferung u. kommunikativer Moralität. Norderstedt: Books on Demand.

Mancic, Emilija (2012): Upheaval and identity collapse. Narratives of Yugoslavia in a European context. Tübingen: Francke.