Associated PhD project

This PhD project focuses on changes in legal culture in East Germany against the backdrop of the collapse of state socialism, revolution and transformation since accession to the Federal Republic of Germany during the period from 1980 until 2000. 

The development of the application of law and citizens’ trust in institutions will be explored by means of a focus on two areas of law that are highly relevant to everyday life. On the one hand, family law, which was an easily accessible legal field in the GDR. On the other hand, administrative law, which was one step removed from GDR society and in theory replaced by the system of petitions. 

The project goes beyond studies that look singularly at socialism, transformation or post-socialism to offer a wider perspective, starting with late socialism and extending until post-socialist society, both before, during, as well as after 1989/90. This time period allows for research on changes in respect to legal culture as well as mentalities and value orientation regarding the state-citizen relationship in times of upheaval. 

Such a broad-brush analysis of transformation processes, combined with changes in legal culture, is so far lacking in the literature. Research projects on different fields of law have up to now dealt only with certain periods of the overall time span that will be addressed by this particular project.