The "Wende" of the Children: Childhood in the East German Transformation

This life-historical interview project is dedicated to studying the specific Wende and post-Wende experiences of children and adolescents in East Germany for the period of post-socialist transformation. The project embarks on a biographical search for traces of the life histories of the former children which were born in East Germany between 1975 and 1989. The life experiences of these people, who were still born in the GDR and lived through "Wende"/"Nachwende" as children and adolescents, offer a special perspective on the political and social "upheaval" of 1989. Alongside conversations with Wende and Nachwende children, we also wish to record life histories of those people who, either in family context or state institutions, dedicated themselves to the upbringing, education, care and custody of children and adolescents. They include mothers and fathers, grandparents, but also child care workers, educators, teachers and other caregivers who lived and worked with children and adolescents and have their own individual perspective on the lifes of children during the "Wende".