Copyright Anna Saunders 2007
The right of Anna Saunders to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Published by Manchester University Press
Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9NR, UK
and Room 400, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA
www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
Distributed exclusively in the USA by
Palgrave, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York,
NY 10010, USA
Distributed exclusively in Canada by
UBC Press, University of British Columbia, 2029 West Mall,
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z2
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for
ISBN 978 0 7190 7411 0
First published 2007
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Typeset in Sabon 10.25/12 pt
by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Manchester
Printed in Great Britain
by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow
Acknowledgements
The research for this book has been inspired by numerous and often lengthy conversations with east German friends who grew up in the GDR, to whom I owe much time, patience and friendship. I would not, however, have embarked on this project without the impetus provided by Mark Allinson, whose enthusiasm for GDR history inspired me as an undergraduate and postgraduate, and whose guidance and support proved to be invaluable during my PhD, out of which this book has grown. I would also like to express my gratitude to all members of staff in the German Department at Bristol University for their help and encouragement throughout my time there, as well as my colleagues at the University of Wales, Bangor for their support and good humour.
This project would not have been possible without the generous financial support of the Arts and Humanities Research Board, which funded my postgraduate research, and enabled extended periods of time in Germany. A number of institutions in Germany have also been invaluable in helping me to track down the necessary documents and resources for my primary research; I am indebted to the staff of all the archives I visited, particularly Frau Dittmer (SAPMO), Frau Dr Basikow (BBF) and Frau Schaarschmidt (BStU) for their patience and advice, and Frau Dr Kornemann-Weber for making her private collection available to me. I have also been greatly aided by numerous youth clubs and organisations in Magdeburg, who helped me not only to find interviewees, but also to gain an insight into east German youth culture.
My primary research in Sachsen-Anhalt would have been impossible without the help of numerous individuals, whose interest and enthusiasm for my project have been central to its development. Above all I would like to thank Kurt and Sabine Onnasch for their tremendous generosity and friendship, and for sharing so many of their experiences in Magdeburg with me. My time there cannot go without a mention of the Magdeburger Domchor, many members of which proved essential points of contact, particularly Ulrike Jerratsch, whose help in finding interviewees and resources was invaluable. My thanks also extends to Frau Herbig (Interessenvereinigung Jugendweihe e.V.) and Herr Beyerling (Junge Humanisten), both of whom allowed me to attend a number of Jugendweihe/FEIER ceremonies, and most importantly to my interviewees, who provided me with endless inspiration, and whose time made this book possible.
I am indebted to numerous flatmates throughout the years, who not only put up with the frequent disarray of German Democratic Republic (GDR) literature scattered around the house, but also offered valuable friendship and advice. Special thanks go to Joanne Saynor, Hilary Brown, Hannah Hickman, Lara James and Helena Migulez-Carballeira for their careful reading of various drafts at different stages of this project, and for their thoughtful comments which have been instrumental in shaping the end product. I am also grateful to my PhD examiners, Mary Fulbrook and Clare Flanagan, for their valuable comments and suggestions on how to take this research further. Needless to say, all imperfections and faults remain my own.
Most importantly, I would like to thank my friends and family for their inspiration, humour, patience and friendship, and above all Mum and Dad for their constant love, support and encouragement.