„Wie viel Osten steckt in uns?“

Geteilte Vergangenheit, gemeinsame Zukunft: Die DDR im heutigen Bewusstsein

Vanessa Jäkel

Februar 2025

Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden

Description

‘How much East is within us?’ — this question marks the starting point of a very personal search for traces. There is no simple answer, as each memory and every conversation opened up new perspectives: Why do we still separate Germany today? Why does the topic often feel so burdened? And what does that say about us?

This book combines personal stories, interviews, and lovingly designed illustrations into a journey through the past and present of Eastern Germany. It lives through memories — and encounters. In dialogue with others and with oneself, a complex picture emerges that moves and invites reflection.

In the end, perhaps a different question arises: not ‘How much East is within us?’, but rather ‘How much is within us?’ After all, we all carry experiences, values, and dreams within us — regardless of where we grew up.