construction of gothic scandinavian urheimat

[Michal Cigan]

Im atracted rather to the concept of re-identification too - regardless  we discuse about Goths, or any other of mediaval or premediaval gentes  (even modern nations and national states). I only need to know, how far  went the discusion about identity problem in the case of Goths. 
  
  In my opinion group identity is a question of political construction,  not of real biological ties. Social group, and especially its elite,  often used to create narratives about their biological ties (only this  "after-narrative" situation is what makes them literally "group" or  "comunity"), best reaching to the past times (comon geografical origin  - ancient homeland, unbroken royal dynasty and so on). But it does not  imply empirical "realness" of this sonstructions; it does not imply,  thet events described in such myths (empirical - biological, geografic  - ties) are necessary historical real.
  
  M.
  
Michael Erwin <merwin at btinternet.com> wrote:                                          On May 8, 2008, at 3:15 AM, OSCAR HERRERA wrote:
  > i i think our suppositions are unfounded about the goths.....they  
  > migrated from gutland to the european mainland and transgressed with  
  > their migration south thru centuries...we understand little about  
  > the germanic tribes and their customs before medeival times so  
  > supposition means little of them or the goths....i think its pretty  
  > obvious that germanic tribes expanded thru population then and  
  > simultaneously descended thru out europe.....i think the goths did  
  > the same with no help of other races or cultures around them....
  >
  
  In the Anglo-Saxon case, it's well-established that it was mostly re- 
  identification and assimilation, not migration. In the Gothic case,  
  the historical evidence for re-identification is clearer than the  
  Anglo-Saxon case, though unfortunately the genetic evidence is not  
  available. (Wulfila himself was descended from non-Goths).
  
      
                                                            

       
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