East Germans: How they speak and how they are spoken about

It is neither true that all East Germans moan, nor that West Germans know everything better. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the terms "Jammerossi" and "Besserwessi" stand for real processes that have influenced the way people in East Germany feel, speak and act. The terms and the discourses they support suggest that they also stand for a feeling of inner turmoil among many East Germans and for a social divide between people and groups of people.

The event will explore the question of how people in East Germany see and have coped with the upheavals and the demands of unification, how they talk about them and how they are discussed in the media, politics and academia. The question is how the potentials and achievements of people in East Germany can be better recognized and brought to bear in society.

About the series Umbrüche. East Germany 30 years after "accession":
The "reunification" of 1989/1990, the economic and monetary union and the accession of the new federal states to the Federal Republic were a turning point in the development of East Germany. Social structures underwent a complete upheaval with far-reaching consequences for the economic and social system, the legal basis and politics. The way of life of East Germans changed rapidly and radically, with corresponding socio-psychological consequences. What really happened during these 30 years? What divisions and problems were associated with the upheaval and what can be described as "successful"? What needs to be done to create the equal living conditions enshrined in the constitution and what does this look like from a left-wing position based on fundamental social criticism? These questions will be discussed in a series of events on central political issues of our time.