The Construction of the Berlin Wall and its Impact on East German Society: A Psycho-geographical Analysis (1960s)

This PhD project questions the repercussions of the construction of the Wall on GDR society. The study focuses on the Wall's effect on East Berliners' everyday lives and how they had to interact with and circulate within these new thoroughfares. It applies a micro-historical and psycho-geographical approach to GDR society, addressing in particular the scale of the ‘Kiez’ (neighbourhood) and the affects that the population developed in relation to the redefined space. How did society identify with this new and restricted area and recover from the emotional trauma? The project is embedded in the department (Abteilung I) ‘Communism and Society’.