Narrative transformation
Alfred Hesse, Erich Gerlach: Education for Civic Awareness. Dresden 1954. Mural in the Gerhart Potthoff Building
What did the upheavals of the 1990s mean for East German universities? How were they experienced individually, shaped institutionally and reflected upon academically?
The East German higher education landscape has undergone profound changes since the 1990s, which were associated with new opportunities, but also with ruptures in individual biographies as well as social and institutional structures. The event series "Erzähl(t)e Transformation" focuses on these experiences and examines how they continue to shape everyday university life, personnel structures and the relationship between East and West to this day. The focus is on how transformations are inscribed in biographies, how they shape them and how they can be examined from various disciplines such as history, sociology, ethnology and cultural anthropology. Both methodological workshops and storytelling cafés will be held to explore this. The aim of the series is to sharpen the focus on the complex dynamics of institutional and individual transformation processes and to make their significance for the present of TU Dresden visible.
The series of events is aimed at (former) employees, students and interested parties who would like to engage with the diverse changes in the university system.
Narrated transformation - workshop series on biographical university research
In three thematically consecutive workshops, experiences of upheaval at East German universities will be examined from different perspectives. They will address the history of university transformation as well as methods of biographical research and different archiving options. Expert impulses from research and practice encourage joint reflection and open up new perspectives on the development of modern universities.
You can find more information in our flyer.
Workshop registration
If you would like to take part in one or more workshops, please register online using the registration form. If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us directly by e-mail.
Workshop I: Historiography and university restructuring after 1989/90. Perspectives on university history for the East German transformation
The restructuring of science after 1989/90 is still a prominent part of the memory of the post-reunification period. Until now, the field has been dominated by reports on the experiences of decision-makers and theoretical approaches from the social sciences. With the opening of the archives after 30 years, the topic has gradually migrated into contemporary history research since the 2020s. The workshop is therefore dedicated to the question of how a university history of the "Hochschulumbau Ost" can be methodically and substantively structured. We want to highlight previous cycles of research, discuss initial archive findings and outline perspectives on how a historically informed approach to the topic can contribute to an objectification of the debate. Based on this, possible thematic approaches for the conception and structuring of narrative cafés at TU Dresden will be developed together. The workshop is aimed at students, lecturers, university staff and people with an interest in the contemporary history of universities in general and TU Dresden in particular.
| 9:00 | Introduction: University history as a 'marginal note' in contemporary historical research? Conjunctures, methodological approaches and sources | Aron Schulze (TU Dresden) |
| 9:45 | Input: The four dimensions of East German academic restructuring | Prof. Dr. Peer Pasternack (Institute for Higher Education Research Halle-Wittenberg) |
| 10:30 |
Working phase: Dimensions of the Dresden university restructuring a) personnel b) structure c) content d) culture |
Small groups |
| 11:30 | Final discussion: Perspectives for a structural organization and content-related conception of talks on the transformation period at TU Dresden |
24. April 2026 (Freitag), 9:00 bis 12:00 Uhr
tba
Workshop II: Biographical interviews in research and teaching
Biographical interviews are one of the central methods of qualitative research, but they also present researchers and teachers with particular methodological, ethical and didactic challenges. The workshop "Biographical Interviews in Research and Teaching" invites researchers, teachers and students to exchange ideas on the practical use of narrative interviews and to learn from each other. The focus is on questions of interviewing, evaluation and sustainable archiving as well as the integration of biographical interview research into teaching formats in the sense of research-based learning. Using concrete practical examples and short keynote speeches, participants will discuss methodological approaches and possible uses of interview research data. A subsequent working phase offers space to develop ideas for cooperation and to explore perspectives for cross-institutional research and teaching in Dresden.
1. Introduction (30min)
2. Practical examples (90min)
3. Working phase in small groups (45min): a) interview research in teaching, b) data management and subsequent use, c) networking and cooperation
4. Conclusion and outlook (approx. 15 min)
May 08, 2026 (Friday), 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
HAIT, room TIL 110 (Helmholtzstraße 6, 1st floor)
Workshop III: From research to the archive. Insights into archiving options for analog and digital research data
Research projects generate a wide range of subject-specific research data. In accordance with the standards of good scientific practice and the FAIR principles, this data can be found in "(research) archives" for a certain period of time after completion of a project and - if possible - made accessible. However, beyond this pure storage of research data (e.g. audio and video files or transcripts of interviews) for the periods specified by universities and funding bodies, there is also a lasting interest on the part of various stakeholders in the permanent preservation of this data.
The workshop "From research to archive" offers an insight into the archiving practices of different institutions and the associated framework conditions (responsibilities, use, costs). An exchange on the possibilities presented is also planned.
| 9:30 | Welcome | |
| 09:35 | Input 1: Life history archive | Claudia Pavlovich (ISGV) |
| 10:05 | Input 2: University Archives of the TU Dresden (cooperation partner of the Didital University Archives Saxony) | Judith Matzke (TU Dresden) |
| 10:35 | 10 minutes break | |
| 10:45 | Input 3: Contact point for research data at TU Dresden | N.N. (TU Dresden together with SLUB) |
| 11:15 | Input 4: Oral-History.Digital | Herdis Kley (Oral-History.Digital) |
| 11:45 | Final discussion |
May 26, 2026 (Friday), 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Open Science Lab 1 (entrance via Zellescher Weg 25)
Narrating transformation - Storytelling cafés on the years from 1990 onwards at TU Dresden
In contrast to the workshops, the storytelling cafés explicitly tie in with personal experiences of social and institutional change and open up a space for exchange and understanding. Four dates are planned for fall 2026. People who experienced the 1990s at TU Dresden are explicitly invited to attend - whether as a student or as an employee of the university.
We are currently in the planning phase; as soon as dates are set, you will find all the information here. There are two consultation hours where questions can be answered.
Registration for storytelling cafés
If you would like to take part in one or more dates, please contact Constanze Wirsing by e-mail or by calling +49-351-463-36270. Please tell us directly what connection you had to TU Dresden during the transformation years and, if applicable, what connection you still have today.
Personal experiences are a central approach to the history of university transformation. The storytelling cafés create space for the voices of those who have directly experienced the transformation at TU Dresden or got to know it later. Moderated discussion rounds offer the opportunity to share personal experiences, listen to others and jointly make different perspectives on transformation and continuity visible.
Current and former TU Dresden students and employees from science, administration and technology who would like to share their own memories of the university's transformation can take part. In addition, interested parties from all status groups are invited to contribute and exchange their perspectives, questions and ideas.
The approach is based on the "oral history" method: the focus is on biographical experiences and subjective interpretations of historical processes. The aim is to preserve these narratives and thus contribute to the collective memory of TU Dresden.
The consultation hours serve to give interested persons an idea of the event. You can discuss questions and uncertainties with the organization team and thus align expectations. The consultation hours will take place online; you will receive the access data on request at . The following dates are available:
July 13, 2026 (Monday), 6 to 7 p.m.
August 13, 2026 (Thursday), 6 to 7 p.m.
The Office for Academic Heritage, Scientific and Art Collections at TU Dresden includes not only the teaching and research collections, particularly in the natural sciences and engineering, but also an extraordinary art collection, with numerous works from the GDR era.
After the historic university site in the center of Dresden was almost completely destroyed in February 1945, an immense building boom began. Under an Artistic Advisory Board founded in 1954, the furnishing of the newly built institute buildings with works of art was professionally supported and strategically promoted for the first time. The collection is public in the sense that all construction-related works in and on the buildings as well as the sculptures and sculptures on the university campus are freely accessible. It also includes paintings, works on paper and small sculptures, which are available for loan to the entire university staff.