The 2018 conference session „Pride and Provinciality – Elites between center and periphery“ published in this volume addressed the self-expression of elites in centres, peripheries and peripheral centres. Yet how should we define center and periphery? What is the history of these terms and the concepts behind them? In which ways are they useful to archaeology? In our paper, we aim to provide an overview on current research trends and to inspire critical reasoning on the topic. We first present some examples of theories and models adapted by early historic archaeology. Additionally, we feature some aspects of the research discussion in prehistory, since the latter has advanced considerably, compared with the archaeology of the early Middle Ages. Starting from this overview, we assess the potential of the presented concepts regarding the question which models may be especially helpful when addressing research problems in early historic archaeology.

Are the terms ‘centre’ and ‘periphery’ useful categories for analysing archaeological settlement patterns? This paper looks to determine what so far has shaped the scientific literature on the topic of ‘centre’ and ‘periphery’ in German-speaking archaeology, focusing mainly on the periods between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. After summarising a selection of current issues, the focus will shift to Walter Christaller’s Central Place Theory, as this still forms the basis for a number of current archaeological models. In the last few decades, both the view and discussion on Central Place Theory have evolved considerably within different strands of geography and planning research. Implementing this critique in archaeology may not only add valuably to the debate but also offer new perspectives on the notions of centre, periphery, and early historic settlement.

Zentrum und Peripherie wurde zum leitenden Thema der gleichnamigen Konferenz, die vom 25. bis 27. Mai 2016 an der Schlesischen Universität Opava stattfand. Die Tagung, an der beinahe 90 Fachleute aus 9 Ländern teilnahmen, wurde vom Germanistenverband der Tschechischen Republik und der Germanistischen Abteilung des Instituts für Fremdsprachen der Schlesischen Universität Opava organisiert. Die Tagung verfolgte das Ziel, Zentrum und Peripherie in unterschiedlichen Bereichen zu untersuchen und einen Überblick über neue Methoden und Erkenntnisse im Bereich der sprachwissenschaftlichen, literarischen und didaktischen Forschungen in fünf Sektionen zu bieten: Die deutsche Sprache: Zentrum und Peripherie; Korpuserstellung und -analyse; Literatur interkulturell vs. transkulturell; Kanon und Norm in Literatur und Literaturdidaktik; Fehler und ihre Behandlung, und stellte eine Vielzahl an Fragestellungen und eine Vielzahl an Ansätzen vor.Zentrum und Peripherie (Centre and Periphery) was the ma...

The present paper is the first part of a larger essay which, due to space constraints, will be published in two separate parts. Using evidence of two small corpora, I develop a centre-periphery model inspired by the prototype theory and apply it to the syntax of German. In doing so I proceed in two steps. In the first part, published here, the graded four-level model of linguistic variation presented below (with the categories “prototype”, “variants”, “competitive forms” and “free stylistic variation”) is tested and refined on two already well-researched grammartical phenomena, namely conditionality and passive structures. In the second part (to be published in the next issue of Linguistik online) I apply the model to the more complex subject of sentence types in German, in particular the so-called minor sentence types. A complete description of a language should not only list the grammatical categories, but also contain quantitative information, on both the frequency of occurrence ...

A cultural political economy (CPE) approach is adopted to examine the rise of discourses about the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies and about their implications for power shifts in the world system. Forces such as international investment banks, economic strategists, international organizations, national governments, business media, etc. contributed in constructing and circulating ‘BRIC’ as a new economic imaginary and investment form. These involved constructions of ‘hope’ and ‘strength’ over three overlapping stages: an investor story, an investor-consumer story, and now an investorconsumer- lender story. This amalgam of discourses and practices (which are subject to continuing renegotiation in response to changing circumstances and further shifts in the balance of forces) has facilitated the gradual sedimentation and naturalization of BRIC as a potential ‘group’ and has mediated particular power shifts in the global political economy. Specifically, this (trans-)na...

In Solnhofen, located in the valley of the river Altmühl, an aristocratic settlement with stone architecture and a private church (Phase I / II) was established during the second half of the 7th century. The predominant economic basis was an intensified iron production. In this place the monk Sola founded a small monastic settlement (cella) around the year 750, which was donated to Fulda abbey in 794. At this time the cella was directly connected to one of the most important traffic and trade routes in the eastern parts of the Carolingian empire. The small priory served as a hospitium for travellers and merchants. After 800 the road system changed fundamentally when the main interests of Carolingian politics shifted to the so called »Nordgau«. To maintain the priory’s position as a religious and economic centre in the Altmühl region, prior Gundhram elevated the body of Sola in 839 and subsequently established his veneration as a saint. Furthermore handicraft became more and more important as a new source of income. Around 1000, a new church was erected (Phase VI). It served as a symbol of Fulda’s territorial claims, especially in opposition to the ex panding diocese of Eichstätt.