Life After the Wall: The East German's Struggle to Establish Identity in United Germany
Presentation Type
Event
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Amanda Brian
Other Mentors
Additional Mentor: Gary Schmidt, Languages and Intercultural Studies
Major
History
Second Major
Languages & Intercultural Std
Minor
Linguistics
Presentation Abstract
In 1989, when the two Germanys reunited, it left East Germans in a country that they did not resemble the home they had known. This led to problems acclimating for East Germans that to this day are not fully resolved. I am using secondary sources about themes of identity post-Wende. I am using newspaper articles from 1989 and the anniversary issues that followed. It is clear not everyone was excited about this new life. Writers went in several different directions, some enjoying their new freedom to write what they choose. Many used satire to make their opinions known in their literature, using their stories as an escape, because the transition had been traumatic for them. Polls in 2010 showed that under half of Germany considered them a united people. I am currently looking for more recent interviews to see what the opinion is today, coming up on the thirty-year anniversary.
Course
Hist 499 Dr Brian
Location
Brittain Hall, Room 114
Start Date
16-4-2019 5:40 PM
End Date
16-4-2019 6:00 PM
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Knudtson, Kristina, "Life After the Wall: The East German's Struggle to Establish Identity in United Germany" (2019). Undergraduate Research Competition. 31.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2019/oral/31
Life After the Wall: The East German's Struggle to Establish Identity in United Germany
Brittain Hall, Room 114
In 1989, when the two Germanys reunited, it left East Germans in a country that they did not resemble the home they had known. This led to problems acclimating for East Germans that to this day are not fully resolved. I am using secondary sources about themes of identity post-Wende. I am using newspaper articles from 1989 and the anniversary issues that followed. It is clear not everyone was excited about this new life. Writers went in several different directions, some enjoying their new freedom to write what they choose. Many used satire to make their opinions known in their literature, using their stories as an escape, because the transition had been traumatic for them. Polls in 2010 showed that under half of Germany considered them a united people. I am currently looking for more recent interviews to see what the opinion is today, coming up on the thirty-year anniversary.