The fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany are regarded as defining historical events for the Federal Republic. The post-socialist transformation, in particular, has given rise to its own tensions. From right-wing extremism to populism, from the liquidation of East German companies to the current development of cutting-edge research, from the marginalization experiences of citizens to their characterization as avantgarde. Stories from and about the East are multifaceted.

Even three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it is still not possible to draw a uniform picture. Still existing inequalities in wages, property relations and the low level of representation in politics, the judiciary and academia require further exploration and thematic development, as once again became evident last year in publications such as Dirk Oschmann's "Der Osten. Eine westdeutsche Erfindung“ (The East. A West German invention). However, East Germany should not be seen as a negative counterexample, but rather illuminated in its differentiated peculiarity from various facets.

That is why researchers from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at TU Dresden, the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Research and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences have now come together to network and share their research on the topic of "Transformation in East Germany". They will focus their work on the topics of "Right-wing extremism, protest and populism", "Political culture and social self-image", "Universities, research and progress" and "Art and culture".

With the public lecture series "Transformation East" at the COSMO Science Forum, the sociologists, historians and political scientists will provide an initial insight into the various aspects of their research. The lecture series will start on April 25, 2024 with Janek Treiber focusing on "East Germany in the light of the state elections" from a political science perspective. Until June 19, 2024, there will be more lectures and panel discussions, including on the liquidation of the state-owned company “VEB Pentacon”, the East German homeland as an East German identity and the question of whether the political culture in East Germany can be regarded as a special or normal case. The press and interested parties are cordially invited.

Additional information:
For the schedule of the lecture series, go to: https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/der-bereich/termine/transformation-ost
Research network "Transformation in East Germany": https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/forschung/transformation-im-osten

Contact and organization:
Dr. Lucas von Ramin
Emerging Field "Societal Change"
TU Dresden
Tel.: +49 351 463-42467