Der Osten bleibt anders.
Wie gespalten ist Deutschland?
('The east is still different.
How divided is Germany?')
Neuhardenberg Speech
with Steffen Mau
In his books, the sociologist Steffen Mau examines the lasting tendency towards a drifting apart of the political landscape in Germany's east and west, even in the fourth decade after the country's reunification. Numerous attempts have been made to explain this fact, all the way to the claim that 'the East Germans' have not yet managed to 'get over' the experiences made under two dictatorships and are not yet 'ready for democracy'. In his 2024 book Ungleich vereint – Warum der Osten anders bleibt, Steffen Mau offers a research approach that goes considerably beyond such commonplace conceptions. He warns against 'armchair psychology explanations', 'popular myths' about certain 'group characteristics' and apportionment of blame. There are no simple explanations, even though the otherness of eastern Germany often manifests itself precisely in such explanation patterns, and maybe we just have to and can get used to the fact that the eastern part of the country will always remain different. Within the scope of the series Neuhardenberg Speeches, Steffen Mau will hold a lecture about his research, theses and ideas regarding this topic.
After the speech, the TV presenter Theo Koll will continue to discuss the situation of a country that is maybe not actually as deeply divided with Steffen Mau and another guest yet to be announced.
