Informace o publikaci
Transformation as Incorporation : Civil Sphere and Collective Identity in Post-Socialist East Germany
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2026 |
| Druh | Kapitola v odborné knize |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Přiložené soubory | |
| Popis | This chapter investigates the post-socialist transformation of East Germany by focusing on the incorporation of its population into the civil sphere of a reunified Germany, whose institutions were dominated by the West. Taking inspiration from politicians as well as scholars that have compared the East German transformation experience to the integration of foreign-born immigrants, this study applies Alexander’s three modes of incorporation to account for the changing identity and representation of East Germans from the fall of the Wall to the present. Characteristic of the 1990s was the mode of assimilation in the specific form of “allochronization” (Glaeser), which portrayed East Germans as lagging temporally behind their West German role model. In the 2000s, assimilation gave way to hyphenated identities, exemplified by the rise of East German politicians, whose East German identity was either publicly irrelevant (Angela Merkel) or conformed to Western expectations (Joachim Gauck). Since the 2010s, there is a growing debate on East German identity, which has become a powerful signifier across political and social divides. Three case studies from across the political spectrum illustrate the emergence of new forms of incorporation, which suggest a shift towards multiculturalism. |