Timelines

Perceived exclusion, undemocratic and racist behavior, and economic decline are simplified and attributed to East Germany. The DEZIM study “East-Migrant Analogies” (2019) empirically documents this exclusion and the discriminatory treatment that occurs because of being East German. East-migrant and racialized persons are exposed to double invisibility and discrimination. The assumption that the East is white and that GDR migration is lost in Western migration history reinforces this. Attempts to unite different perspectives on migration and racism began in the 1980s and 1990s (founding of ADEFRA, ISD; feminist conferences). However, East German migrant perspectives were less present. Since the 2020s, this has been gradually changing through: - DaMOst “Projekt Migost”: The umbrella organization for migrant organizations in Germany is organizing, for example, storytelling cafés with contemporary witnesses of contract work, the content of which will be used to create plays. - Book by Lydia Lierke and Massimo Perinelli: “Erinnern stören. Der Mauerfall aus migrantischer und jüdischer Perspektive” (Disturbing memories. The fall of the Berlin Wall from a migrant and Jewish perspective): Describes the situation of migrants and Jewish people in East and West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall and their struggles for participation during and after reunification. - Katharina Warda “Dunkeldeutschland”: The name of the project, which consists of essays and videos, is based on a West German term for East Germany in the 1990s. The project tells Warda's story of growing up in a small town in Saxony-Anhalt, her experiences as a Black East German, the period of reunification, and her love of punk. - BpB Gera: In 2020, the Federal Agency for Civic Education will open its first location in eastern Germany, headed by Peggy Piesche, who grew up in Thuringia herself and is one of the best-known Black representatives in Germany, among other things through her work with ADEFRA and ISD. - Vossis: Children and grandchildren of former contract workers in the GDR make their voices heard and report on the migration of the first generation, their lives in the GDR, the period of reunification, anti-Asian racism, and the current connection and perception of Vietnamese-German life of the subsequent generation in eastern Germany. - PostOst: This term encompasses people who have migrated from countries that are labeled as Russian-speaking, Eastern European, post-Soviet, or belonging to the “Eastern Bloc.” It summarizes the experiences of both West German and East German perspectives and attempts to develop a new understanding of Eastern Europe.