<\/p>\n Since unification, eastern Germany has witnessed a rapidly changing memorial landscape, as the fate of former socialist monuments has been hotly debated and new commemorative projects have met with fierce controversy. Memorializing the GDR<\/em> provides the first in-depth study of this contested arena of public memory, investigating the individuals and groups devoted to the creation or destruction of memorials as well as their broader aesthetic, political, and historical contexts. Emphasizing the interrelationship of built environment, memory and identity, it brings to light the conflicting memories of recent German history, as well as the nuances of national and regional constructions of identity.<\/p>\n Read Introduction<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Read blog post by author Anna Saunders: WHY MONUMENTS STILL HAVE A FUTURE<\/a><\/p>\n The long path to the Berlin Wall began in 1945, when Josef Stalin instructed the Communist Party to take power in the Soviet occupation zone while the three Western allies secured their areas of influence. When Germany was split into separate states in 1949, Berlin remained divided into four sectors, with West Berlin surrounded by the GDR but lingering as a captivating showcase for Western values and goods. Following a failed Soviet attempt to expel the allies from West Berlin with a blockade in 1948\u201349, a second crisis ensued from 1958\u201361, during which the Soviet Union demanded once and for all the withdrawal of the Western powers and the transition of West Berlin to a \u201cFree City.\u201d Ultimately Nikita Khrushchev decided to close the border in hopes of halting the overwhelming exodus of East Germans into the West.<\/p>\n Since Unification and the end of the Cold War, Berlin has witnessed a series of uncommonly intense social, political, and cultural transformations. While positioning itself as a creative center populated by young and cosmopolitan global citizens, the \u201cNew Berlin\u201d is at the same time a rich site of historical memory, defined inescapably by its past even as it articulates German and European hopes for the future. Cultural Topographies of the New Berlin<\/em> presents a fascinating cross-section of life in Germany\u2019s largest city, revealing the complex ways in which globalization, ethnicity, economics, memory, and national identity inflect how its urban spaces are inhabited and depicted.<\/p>\n Read Introduction<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n New in Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n COMRADES OF COLOR<\/a> Volume 15, Protest, Culture & Society<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n In keeping with the tenets of socialist internationalism, the political culture of the German Democratic Republic strongly emphasized solidarity with the non-white world: children sent telegrams to Angela Davis in prison, workers made contributions from their wages to relief efforts in Vietnam and Angola, and the deaths of Patrice Lumumba, Ho Chi Minh, and Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired public memorials. Despite their prominence, however, scholars have rarely examined such displays in detail. Through a series of illuminating historical investigations, this volume deploys archival research, ethnography, and a variety of other interdisciplinary tools to explore the rhetoric and reality of East German internationalism.<\/p>\n Read\u00a0Introduction<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n BERLIN DIVIDED CITY, 1945-1989<\/a> Volume 6, Culture & Society in Germany\u00a0<\/em>Series<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n A great deal of attention continues to focus on Berlin\u2019s cultural and political landscape after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but as yet, no single volume looks at the divided city through an interdisciplinary analysis. This volume examines how the city was conceived, perceived, and represented during the four decades preceding reunification and thereby offers a unique perspective on divided Berlin\u2019s identities. German historians, art historians, architectural historians, and literary and cultural studies scholars explore the divisions and antagonisms that defined East and West Berlin; and by tracing the little studied similarities and extensive exchanges that occurred despite the presence of the Berlin Wall, they present an indispensible study on the politics and culture of the Cold War.<\/p>\n NARRATIVES IN THE MAKING<\/a> Despite the three decades that have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the historical narrative of East Germany is hardly fixed in public memory, as German society continues to grapple with the legacies of the Cold War. This fascinating ethnography looks at two very different types of local institutions in one eastern German state that take divergent approaches to those legacies: while publicly funded organizations reliably cast the GDR as a dictatorship, a main regional newspaper offers a more ambivalent perspective colored by the experiences and concerns of its readers. As author Anselma Gallinat shows, such memory work\u2014initially undertaken after fundamental regime change\u2014inevitably shapes citizenship and democracy in the present.<\/p>\n Read Introduction:<\/strong>\u00a0Questions of Discourse, Narrative and Memory after Fundamental Regime-Change\u2028<\/a><\/p>\n New in Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n TAILORING TRUTH<\/a> Volume 15, Contemporary European History<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n By looking at state-sponsored memory projects, such as memorials, commemorations, and historical museums, this book reveals that the East German communist regime obsessively monitored and attempted to control public representations of the past to legitimize its rule. It demonstrates that the regime\u2019s approach to memory politics was not stagnant, but rather evolved over time to meet different demands and potential threats to its legitimacy. Ultimately the party found it increasingly difficult to control the public portrayal of the past, and some dissidents were able to turn the party\u2019s memory politics against the state to challenge its claims of moral authority.<\/p>\n Read Introduction<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n THE HISTORY OF THE STASI<\/a> \u201cGieseke treats\u2026 many issues with careful and lucid analysis, confining himself to the known facts. He rejects the hyperbolic in favor of more mundane explanations. The truth is bad enough\u2026 Essential.\u201d<\/em> \u00b7 Choice<\/strong><\/p>\n The East German Ministry for State Security stood for Stalinist oppression and all-encompassing surveillance. The \u201cshield and sword of the party,\u201d it secured the rule of the Communist Party for more than forty years, and by the 1980s it had become the largest secret-police apparatus in the world, per capita. Jens Gieseke tells the story of the Stasi, a feared secret-police force and a highly professional intelligence service. He inquires into the mechanisms of dictatorship and the day-to-day effects of surveillance and suspicion. Masterful and thorough at once, he takes the reader through this dark chapter of German postwar history, supplying key information on perpetrators, informers, and victims. In an assessment of post-communist memory politics, he critically discusses the consequences of opening the files and the outcomes of the Stasi debate in reunified Germany. A major guide for research on communist secret-police forces, this book is considered the standard reference work on the Stasi and has already been translated into a number of Eastern European languages.<\/p>\n Read Introduction:<\/strong> Ten Years and Ten Days<\/a><\/p>\n UNITED GERMANY<\/a> \u201cThis well-conceptualized, informative volume offers an overview of the conflicting assessments of \u201cunited Germany\u201d that fuel ongoing debates about reunification\u2026 Jarausch introduces the collection of articles with a masterful and succinct summary of perceptions of German democracy, capitalism, society, culture, and international relations since 1990\u2026 American readers at many levels of knowledge will learn much from this book.\u201d<\/em> \u00b7 German Studies Review<\/strong><\/p>\n Read Introduction:<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Growing Together? A Tentative Balance Sheet of German Unification<\/a><\/p>\n In Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n DIVIDED, BUT NOT DISCONNECTED<\/a> The Allied agreement after the Second World War did not only partition Germany, it divided the nation along the fault-lines of a new bipolar world order. This inner border made Germany a unique place to experience the Cold War, and the \u201cGerman question\u201d in this post-1945 variant remained inextricably entwined with the vicissitudes of the Cold War until its end. This volume explores how social and cultural practices in both German states between 1949 and 1989 were shaped by the existence of this inner border, putting them on opposing sides of the ideological divide between the Western and Eastern blocs, as well as stabilizing relations between them. This volume\u2019s interdisciplinary approach addresses important intersections between history, politics, and culture, offering an important new appraisal of the German experiences of the Cold War.<\/p>\n BECOMING EAST GERMAN<\/a> Volume 6, Spektrum: Publications of the German Studies Association<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMoving beyond debates concerning totalitarianism, the 12 authors analyze the characteristics of daily life in the GDR. As a result, the subjects of the essays are sometimes surprising–dieting habits, the battle against tuberculosis, and luxury dining, for example\u2014which only adds to the collection\u2019s contribution to the historiography of its subject\u2026 the authors succeed in their goal of moving beyond the gray exteriors and drab lives that are often associated with life in East Germany. This alone makes the book a valuable addition to the scholarly literature.<\/em>\u201d \u00b7 Choice<\/strong><\/p>\n Read\u00a0Introduction<\/strong>: The Banalities of East German Historiography<\/a><\/p>\n BERLIN, ALEXANDERPLATZ<\/a> Volume 1, Space and Place<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Through a captivating account of the controversy around this symbolic public square in East Berlin, the book raises acute questions about expertise, citizenship, government and belonging. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in the city administration bureaus, developers\u2019 offices, citizen groups and in Alexanderplatz itself, the author advances a richly innovative analysis of the multiplicity of place.<\/p>\n Volume 17, Studies in German History<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n During the three decades from 1945 to 1975, the Catholic Church in West Germany employed a broad range of methods from empirical social research. Statistics, opinion polling, and organizational sociology, as well as psychoanalysis and other approaches from the \u201cpsy sciences,\u201d were debated and introduced in pastoral care. In adopting these methods for their own work, bishops, parish clergy, and pastoral sociologists tried to open the church up to modernity in a rapidly changing society. In the process, they contributed to the reform agenda of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Through its analysis of the intersections between organized religion and applied social sciences, this award-winning book offers fascinating insights into the trajectory of the Catholic Church in postwar Germany.<\/p>\n New in Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n FRAGMENTED FATHERLAND<\/a> Volume 34, Monographs in German History<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDrawing on a vast number of government records, including the national and local intelligence services as well as extensive press and secondary sources, Clarkson deftly and cogently analyzes the evolution of the FRG’s policies, from the conservative front line Cold War state of the 1950s that strongly supported anticommunist immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Balkans to a detente-seeking government in the late 1960s and 1970s that balanced the anti-colonial and anti-authoritarian movements within its borders with its core political and economic interests.\u201d<\/em> \u00b7 Choice<\/strong><\/p>\n Read\u00a0Introduction:<\/strong> New Neighbours, New Challenges: Recognising Diversity<\/a><\/p>\n RE-IMAGINING DEFA<\/a> By the time the Berlin Wall collapsed, the cinema of the German Democratic Republic\u2014to the extent it was considered at all\u2014was widely regarded as a footnote to European film history, with little of enduring value. Since then, interest in East German cinema has exploded, inspiring innumerable festivals, books, and exhibits on the GDR\u2019s rich and varied filmic output. In Re-Imagining DEFA, leading international experts take stock of this vibrant landscape and plot an ambitious course for future research, one that considers other cinematic traditions, brings genre and popular works into the fold, and encompasses DEFA\u2019s complex post-unification \u201cafterlife.\u201d<\/p>\n Volume 14, Film Europa<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, there has been a proliferation of German historical films. These productions have earned prestigious awards and succeeded at box offices both at home and abroad, where they count among the most popular German films of all time. Recently, however, the country\u2019s cinematic take on history has seen a significant new development: the radical style, content, and politics of the New German Cinema. With in-depth analyses of the major trends and films, this book represents a comprehensive assessment of the historical film in today\u2019s Germany.<\/p>\n Read Introduction<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n German Politics and Society<\/em>\u00a0is a peer-reviewed journal published and distributed by Berghahn Journals<\/a>. It is the only American publication that explores issues in modern Germany from the combined perspectives of the social sciences, history, and cultural studies.<\/p>\n Access Articles from German Politics and Society<\/em> until August 20! Use code GPS1961. The Dialectical Identity of Eastern Germans Monument(s) to Freedom and Unity<\/a> The Berlin Wall and the Battle for Legitimacy in Divided Germany<\/em><\/a> The Berlin Wall and its Resurrection as a Site of Memory<\/a><\/em> For updates on these and other Berghahn titles as well as all other exciting developments from Berghahn Books, on\u00a0 On August 13, 1961, Berlin woke up to a shock: the East German Army had begun construction on the infamous Berlin Wall.\u00a0The Wall was initially constructed in the middle of Berlin, and expanded over the following months. It entirely cut off West Berlin from the surrounding East Germany, prohibiting East Germans to pass into West… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,108],"tags":[299,107,1772,317,318,316,1740,111,907,320,113,120,1763,319,411,188,101,224,992,110,545,550,994,94,230,85,260,275,183],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4106"}],"version-history":[{"count":58,"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19227,"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106\/revisions\/19227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Memorializing](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/SaundersMemorializing.jpg\")
MEMORIALIZING THE GDR<\/a>
\nMonuments and Memory after 1989
\nAnna Saunders<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/WilkePath.jpg\")
THE PATH TO THE BERLIN WALL<\/a>
\nCritical Stages in the History of Divided Germany
\nManfred Wilke<\/p>\n![\"Cultural](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/BauerCultural.jpg\")
CULTURAL TOPOGRAPHIES OF THE NEW BERLIN<\/a>
\nEdited by Karin Bauer and Jennifer Ruth Hosek<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/SlobodianComrades.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nEast Germany in the Cold War World
\nEdited by Quinn Slobodian<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/BroadbentBerlin.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nEdited by Philip Broadbent and Sabine Hake<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/GallinatNarratives.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWriting the East German Past in the Democratic Present
\nAnselma Gallinat<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/OlsenTailoring.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nPoliticizing the Past and Negotiating Memory in East Germany, 1945-1990
\nJon Berndt Olsen<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/GiesekeHistory.jpg\")
In Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n
\nEast Germany’s Secret Police, 1945-1990
\nJens Gieseke
\nTranslated from the German by David Burnett<\/p>\n![\"United](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/JarauschUnited.jpg\")
In Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n
\nDebating Processes and Prospects
\nEdited by Konrad Jarausch<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/HochscherfDivided.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nGerman Experiences of the Cold War
\nEdited by Tobias Hochscherf, Christoph Laucht, and Andrew Plowman<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/FulbrookBecoming.jpg\")
In Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n
\nSocialist Structures and Sensibilities after Hitler
\nEdited by Mary Fulbrook and Andrew I. Port<\/p>\n![\"Berlin,](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/WeszkalnysBerlin.jpg\")
In Paperback<\/em><\/p>\n
\nTransforming Place in a Unified Germany
\nGisa Weszkalnys<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/ZiemannEncounters.jpg\")
ENCOUNTERS WITH MODERNITY<\/a>
\nThe Catholic Church in West Germany, 1945-1975
\nBenjamin Ziemann
\nTranslated from the German by Andrew Evans<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/ClarksonFragmented.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\n
\nImmigration and Cold War Conflict in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1945-1980
\nAlexander Clarkson<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/AllanRe-Imagining.jpg\")
Paperback Original<\/em><\/p>\n
\nEast German Cinema in its National and Transnational Contexts
\nEdited by Se\u00e1n Allan and Sebastian Heiduschke<\/p>\n![\"Postwall](\"http:\/\/www.berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/FreyPostwall.jpg\")
POSTWALL GERMAN CINEMA<\/a>
\nHistory, Film History and Cinephilia
\nMattias Frey<\/p>\n
\nFrom Berghahn Journals:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/berghahnbooks.com\/covers\/jnls\/jnl_cover_gps.gif\")
German Politics and Society<\/a><\/h3>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/a>Joyce Marie Mushaben (Volume 37, Issue 3)<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>Inner Unity and Regional Diversity in Unified Germany<\/a>
\n<\/em>Helga A. Welsh (Volume 37, Issue 3)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Jon Berndt Olsen (Volume 37, Issue 3)
\n
\nWalled In: Ordinary East Germans’ Responses to 13 August 1961<\/a><\/em>
\nPatrick Major (Volume 29, Issue 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nPertti Ahonen (Volume 29, Issue 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nHope M. Harrison (Volume 29, Issue 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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