30 Jahre Antifa in Ostdeutschland

The political and social upheaval of 1989–90 was a milestone for today’s Antifa movement. However, whilst previous retrospectives have generally assumed a shared history of resistance, they have paid little attention to the fact that an independent movement emerged in East Germany, one that had its origins in the waning days of the GDR and developed its own distinct identity.

Thirty years after the first independent Antifa groups were founded in the GDR, this volume brings together, for the first time, analyses from the fields of social sciences, cultural studies and history. Researchers and activists offer insights into the personal motivations behind their actions, the socio-political contexts and debates within the movement. 

The authors examine the confrontations with the FDJ and the Stasi, the appropriation of space through squatting, and the ambivalent relationship between Antifa groups in East and West Germany. The book reconstructs biographical aspects and understandings of militancy, and presents a spatial-theoretical perspective.Other articles discuss the relationship between theory and practice in political education, anti-fascist remembrance policies and the emergence of the ‘anti-Germans’. Finally, the article examines the points of disagreement and the opportunities offered by civil society collaborations.