Exhibition Transformation EAST. Lives in Transition: Virtual Commented Visit of the Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung’s Exhibition “Umbruch Ost”

The IRTG Diversity together with the Centre canadien d’études allemandes et europénnes and the German Consulate General in Montréal presented, in collaboration with colleagues from the worldwide network of DAAD-sponsored Centers for German and European Studies, the exhibition Transformation EAST. Lives in Transition as a virtual tour followed by a panel discussion on Facebook Live on January 22, 2021 at 6pm MET (Strasbourg) 12pm EST (Montréal) 11am CET (Minnesota, Wisconsin) 9am PST (Victoria) This online event features a virtual visit of the exhibition guided by Laurence McFalls (Département de science politique, Université de Montréal) with commentary by

Alexander Reisenbichler Joint Initiative in German and European Studies (JIGES) Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto

Matthias Rothe (German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch) College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota

Jay Rowell Centre interdisciplinaire d’études et de recherches sur l’Allemagne (CIERA) CNRS, Université de Strasbourg

Beate Schmidtke (EUCA-Net: European Studies in Canada) Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria

Marc Silberman (German, Nordic, and Slavic+) University of Wisconsin-Madison Transformation EAST.

Lives in Transition addresses the expectations, trust, and fears that East Germans associated with the reunification process through images and texts. It recalls the solidarity between Germans and their willingness to help each other as well as their tensions and misunderstandings. The exhibition tells of new beginnings and awakenings, as well as of the desire to reappraise the SED dictatorship. It also documents the despair that went hand in hand with economic collapse and the rise in unemployment, as well as the experiences of loss and fears that characterized the 1990s in former East Germany. Subjects explored include the simultaneous renovation and demolition of towns and cities in the east of Germany, the situation of women and families, and a youth culture torn between techno, punk, and right-wing extremism. Themes range from resentments to political violence, the question of who has the right to shape national identity, relations with Eastern neighbours, the development of the former East and its successes as well as new social divides that have arisen in recent years.

Conception and text: Stefan Wolle Published by the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in East Germany (Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung) and the Federal Government Commissioner for the New Federal States in cooperation with NDR and Statista.

Watch the recording on Facebook live https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1003398636852620&ref=search.

For more information: https://www.umbruch-ost.de/