Twenty years since the Berlin Wall came down a new research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is looking at the ways in which the East German past has been reconstructed and represented since the demise of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
On November 9 it will be 20 years since of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the memory of the GDR is experiencing a boom.
Even though the physical signs of German division have disappeared, new sites of memory are still being created, ranging from ‘Ostalgie’ (nostalgia for the GDR) to the documentation of political oppression. Examples of this extraordinary memory culture include the recent internationally acclaimed film ‘Goodbye Lenin’ and GDR memorabilia such as T-shirts, cars, cola and even ‘communist champagne’.
The project, ‘After the Wall’, is a joint effort between Dr Anna Saunders from Bangor University and Dr Debbie Pinfold from the University of Bristol. Speaking about the aims of the project, Dr Saunders said: “Through a series of workshops this project aims to bring together scholars from different disciplines, such as Cultural Studies, History, Anthropology, Political Science, Media and Film Studies, to allow for open discussion in order to further research in this area.”
The first workshop, ‘Memory and Forms of Representation’, focused primarily on theoretical questions of memory and how memories of the GDR can be usefully examined. Concepts discussed included whether the fall of the Wall might be better seen as a process rather than an event.
The second workshop, ‘Evoking the GDR Alltag’, examined the way in which the ‘Alltag’ (everyday life) and everyday memories of the GDR are represented in contemporary Germany. Discussions focused on autobiographical literature, the symbolism of the ‘Ampelmann’ (East German traffic light man), post-unification film and the exhibition of material culture in museums.
The third workshop, ‘Recalling the GDR dictatorship’, will take place on March 22-23 2010 and there will be a final conference, ‘Remembering the GDR: history versus memory/fact versus fiction’, which aims to bring all of the previous discussions together and will be held on September 8-10 2010.
Dr Saunders concludes: “The anniversary is in itself extremely interesting subject matter and is something which the network will to reflect on next year.”
For further information, please visit the After the Wall website.
ENDS
Notes for editors
Media Contact: Matthew Begent, Communications, M.Begent@ahrc.ac.uk
About the Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute over a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.