At times when migration and diversity are politically salient and controversially discussed, the rhetoric of staying ‘as we are’ is widespread. But how do ‘we’ actually change and how would ‘we’ know when it happens? Based on the premise that political communities are the products of narratives of peoplehood, this paper explores how such narratives evolve over time. It conceptualizes different modes of balancing narrative continuity and change. These modes – repetition, adaptation, and institutionalization – are illustrated with reference to evolving German narratives of peoplehood centring around (not) being a country of immigration. The paper argues that all modes lead to some degree of change in narratives of peoplehood. Against the backdrop of different understandings of the core of a narrative, it further discusses when such changes fundamentally affect who ‘we’ are. Overall, the paper invites scholars, policymakers, and citizens to think critically about the essential aspects of their political communities’ narratives and to be aware of the stories that ‘we’ are told and that ‘we’ tell ourselves.

在政治上强调移徙和多样性并引起争议的时候，保持“原样”的言论很普遍。但是“我们”实际上如何变化，以及“我们”如何知道它何时发生？在以政治共同体为人民叙事的产物为前提的情况下，本文探讨了这种叙事如何随着时间而演变。它概念化了平衡叙事连续性和变化的不同模式。这些模式-重复，适应和制度化-是以德国人的叙事（围绕（而非）作为移民国）不断发展的叙事为例进行说明的。本文认为，所有模式都会导致人们叙事方式的某种程度的变化。在对叙事核心的不同理解的背景下，它进一步讨论了这些变化从根本上影响“我们”是谁的时间。总体而言，本文邀请学者，政策制定者和公民认真思考其政治团体叙述的基本方面，并意识到“我们”被告知和“我们”告诉自己的故事。