Completed PhD project
Part of the cooperation project of the ZZF and the University of Potsdam »The Transformation of the East German Universities in the 1980s / 90s: Potsdam in Comparative Perspective«
Project leader at ZZF: Prof. Dr. Frank Bösch
The project examined the transformation of the humanities after the peaceful revolution of 1989/90 in East Germany, focusing on Potsdam as a university city. Starting from the 1980s well beyond the German reunification, the longue durée of political changes in the East-German higher education system was told.
The focus lay on the socio-political developments in the GDR during the 1980s which led to the gradual erosion of the socialist academic system. The change in institutional structures as well as of personnel in the humanities during the transformation phase was given special consideration. In addition, from the transition of the 1980s to the 1990s, continuities and disruptions of research and teaching content were analysed. Moreover, the question was raised to which extent the transformation processes at University of Potsdam differed from those at other East German universities.
Lara Büchel successfully completed her doctoral degree at the University of Potsdam on July 8, 2026, with the distinction »Magna cum laude«. For more information, see the news article.
