Completed associated PhD project

The transformation of the East German scientific landscape based on the model of the West German states was one of the declared goals after the political change in 1989/90. The transformation took place between internal reform efforts on the one hand and external interventions on the other hand, strongly dependent on the respective federal state, the type of university and the discipline. Commissions, mainly consisting of West Germans, evaluated the research achievements of their East German colleagues, which often led to harsh conflicts that continue to have an impact today.

The dissertation project examined the reorganization of the natural sciences in the 1980s/90s at the colleges of education in Potsdam and Halle. The research project asked to what extent the political significance of the natural sciences and the professional relevance of the colleges of education in the scientific landscape of the GDR had consequences for the restructuring process of the two investigated institutions. How strong was the level of support for reform efforts among the natural scientists and how were they assessed in the political and professional evaluations? What kind of (dis-)continuities can be observed  regarding staff, teaching content and main research areas?