My Work

On October 3, 1990, the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany. This date marked the official final point of the German reunification process. Anthropologist Katherine Verdery points out that the end of communist regimes all over Eastern Europe was often framed as a rescue scenario from the claws of totalitarianism and the beginning path toward life ‘as it should be’ in the formerly socialist block. Indeed, a teleological thinking seemed to take hold, expecting an upward path toward progress and success. Accordingly, in their reunification euphoria, German leaders as well as the public took for granted that the extension of the Western social, economic, and political structures would automatically lead to a prosperous and harmonious society. But it did not. The twenty-fifth anniversary of German reunification this past weekend coincided with what politicians and the media have called the “refugee crisis” and “a huge challenge which will affect German society lastingly.”