Emmanuel Terray
The Shadows of Berlin A Journey through Another Germany Publication date : May 1, 1996
For the French public today, Germany is represented primarily by the deutsche mark and the Bundesbank, power and prosperity, an impressive social system it is seen as a dynamic and self-assured nation with a dominant position in Europe.
But behind this formidable image is another Germany that is now grappling with history and incertitude as to its identity. More than anywhere else, this problematical Germany may be found in Berlin. From Hitler's Olympic stadium to the Stasi general quarters, Berlin bears the stigma of history. Though the Wall has tumbled, the city is still awaiting the arrival of a government and a parliament that will officially establish that Berlin has emerged as the capital of a new republic.
Emmanuel Terray offers the reader a journey of Berlin's "historical memory", a tour of the most significant "souvenirs" of the city, both famous and unknown. Each stop in this itinerary marks a homecoming, a return to a particular character or aspect of German history, from Weimar to the GDR, by way of the Third Reich.Finally, this book is the occasion for a more general reflection not only on Germany but also on the whims of fate and the essential fragility of power, social systems and political regimes. More than a historical tome, this book follows the tradition of the "philosophical voyage".
Born in 1935, Emmanuel Terray is an anthropologist and the director of studies at the Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales. He lived in Berlin from 1991 to 1994.
But behind this formidable image is another Germany that is now grappling with history and incertitude as to its identity. More than anywhere else, this problematical Germany may be found in Berlin. From Hitler's Olympic stadium to the Stasi general quarters, Berlin bears the stigma of history. Though the Wall has tumbled, the city is still awaiting the arrival of a government and a parliament that will officially establish that Berlin has emerged as the capital of a new republic.
Emmanuel Terray offers the reader a journey of Berlin's "historical memory", a tour of the most significant "souvenirs" of the city, both famous and unknown. Each stop in this itinerary marks a homecoming, a return to a particular character or aspect of German history, from Weimar to the GDR, by way of the Third Reich.Finally, this book is the occasion for a more general reflection not only on Germany but also on the whims of fate and the essential fragility of power, social systems and political regimes. More than a historical tome, this book follows the tradition of the "philosophical voyage".
Born in 1935, Emmanuel Terray is an anthropologist and the director of studies at the Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales. He lived in Berlin from 1991 to 1994.