“Doing” ontological security: on the role of traditional festivals and heritage in times of crisis

Abstract. The literature on ontological security has considerably improved our understanding of how crises, disruptions, and their perceptions lead to subjective insecurities or anxieties. In particular, it has illuminated how individuals cope with the insecurities of late modernity by searching for stabilizing anchors, such as routines and biographical continuity. While existing research on ontological security has largely examined narrative strategies and identity constructions, this article shifts the focus onto active, embodied, and situated practice. Based on a qualitative case study of the Schäferlauf – a biannual traditional festival in Bad Urach, Germany – we show how heritage practices can function as stabilizing anchors in times of crisis. Through qualitative fieldwork including interviews and photograph elicitation, we analyse how the festival enables individuals to anchor their identities through embodied and place-based practices, such as wearing traditional costumes and participating in preparations. These practices generate a sense of continuity in personal biographies, and reinforce social ties and place identity. This study provides new directions for research on festivals as sites of social and cultural stability and continuity, while also laying the groundwork for further research into ontological security as an embodied and situated practice.