Collecting Communism: Private Museums of Everyday Life under Socialism in Former East Germany

in German Politics and Society
Author:
Jonathan BachThe New School bachj@newschool.edu

Search for other papers by Jonathan Bach in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
View More View Less
Restricted access

Across former East Germany today there are more than two dozen private museums devoted to representing everyday life under socialism. Some are haphazard collections in cramped spaces, others marketable mainstays of their local tourist economy. Historians have criticized them as at best amateurish and, at worst, a trivialization of the GDR's repressive practices. Yet, this article argues how, as a social phenomenon, these museums form an important early phase in postunification efforts by public cultural institutions to incorporate the GDR everyday into working through the past. The article examines the museum's modes of representation and shows how the museums lay claim to authenticity through a tactile, interactive, and informal approach. Despite valid criticisms, the article argues that the museums can be seen as helping overcome, rather than reinforce, the binary of totalitarianism and everyday life as antagonistic frameworks for understanding the socialist past.

  • Collapse
  • Expand

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 462 146 11
Full Text Views 34 2 0
PDF Downloads 50 6 0