Ousting winter by burning witch figures. Contested heritage in the Western Austrian Alps

Abstract (English)

The Funken, a type of bonfire practiced in the Western Austrian Alps (and beyond Swiss and German borders), can be traced back roughly 1000 years (Johler 2000). For these events, up to 30 meters high wooden structures are burnt in the presence of local villagers. Accompanied by culinary delicacies, local brass bands, fireworks etc. and (a) loud boom(s), these annual events offer an exhilarating multisensory experience.
Ever since the 19th century, the Funken have been topped with a witch figure in order to combat decreasing interest in the practice (drawing on the evil fairytale witch rather than the historical witch burnings, Tschaikner 2024). However, over the past two decades, the burning of the witch figure has become particularly contested. Each year, local media and the communities themselves (have to) debate the use of the witch in present days, with critics wishing to abolish the witch figure due to its misogynistic cultural “baggage” and communities seeing themselves forced to defend the symbolic use of the witch figure and their wish to hold on to it.
In the context of this panel, one wonders: What if we treated these communities as non-Westerners? What would happen if we were to try to understand their beliefs and actions as those of non-Westerners, de-centering the case rather than the theory, or maybe both? What if we employed a postcritical reading (Felksi 2015) and asked: “What makes people be part of this practice (as builders as much as onlookers)?” Rather than asking, e.g., “What are the underlying patriarchal power structures reproduced in this practice?” What if we took the actors and their self-interpretation seriously, as has long been demanded in so-called exo-anthropology (Candea 2011)?