Author: Kube, Lutz

Source: German Politics & Society, Volume 26, Number 2, Summer 2008 , pp. 45-55(11)

Abstract:

Leander Haußmann (Sonnenallee), a theater and film director with East German roots, contributed the documentary Die Durchmacher to the television series Denk ich an Deutschland. In his documentary, Haußmann interviews some of his old friends who in the late 1970s formed a group in East Berlin and presents their stories about the time. This paper explores the image of the German Democratic Republic that is created by the memories of the participants and their presentation through Haußmann. An important element of the memories is the perspective from which they come: out of a subculture that tried to escape East German reality with only limited success. This article also examines how the ambiguity and unreliability of memories are presented in the film. The documentary is put into the context of a debate on the concept of "Ostalgia" (Ostalgie), arguing that this can still be a productive means to communicate East German experiences without idealizing them.

Keywords: GERMAN HISTORY; EAST GERMANY; GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC; DOCUMENTARY FILM; TELEVISION; COLLECTIVE MEMORY; SUBCULTURE; OSTALGIA; LEANDER HAUSSMANN

DOI: 10.3167/gps.2008.260203

User name

 

Password

 

 

Remember me

 

 

 

• forgotten your password?
• Sign in via Athens