Mass media and memory: The communist GDR in today’s communicative memory

Authors

  • Michael Meyen Department of Communication, University of Munich
  • Senta Pfaff-Rüdiger Department of Communication, University of Munich

Keywords:

collective memory, collective identity, GDR, focus groups

Abstract

Using the example of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) the present study asks how mass media shape collective memory. How do reports in German media on the GDR affect communicative memory? To answer these questions, the present study is grounded in the theory of collective memory and relies on more than 20 focus groups in very different social settings. Today’s mass media content on the GDR is almost always about dictatorship. This is why some East Germans do not find their picture of the past within the media and do not feel at home in reunited Germany, yet.

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Published

2017-12-19

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 9 (2014)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2017 Michael Meyen, Senta Pfaff-Rüdiger

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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