C6: Wissenschaftliche Beobachtung

The way in which modern societies came to understand themselves in the course of the 20th century was increasingly influenced by knowledge in the social sciences. Systems of classification, graphics and statistics became important reference points when negotiating social difference. Representations of social order deriving from the social sciences thus shaped political discourse, while also framing the manner in which individuals placed themselves within the social fabric. This trend underlines the deep-rooted power of quantifying methods and points in general to a scientification of (social) policy.

The project explores these developments with regard to Germany's divided post-war history and investigates concepts of social stratification as they prevailed in East and West Germany. In order to understand the dynamic of social change in the two Germanies and during the transition period, it is crucial to understand how both societies perceived themselves as such. Which systems of classification, images and intellectual schemes did they use when negotiating social differences? How did they deal with social inequality, and how did they react to social change?

Though the ideological framework differed, the East as well as the West German state established extensive welfare regimes in response to a widespread demand for social security. Nonetheless, life chances in both societies were uneven. In view of this fact, the project examines the changing representations of social differences in East and West. It thereby focuses on the concrete practice of producing and circulating knowledge about "the social" and thus historicizes the role of the classic "second-order observer" – the sociologist and the public opinion pollster.

Publications by members of this sub-project

• Christiane Reinecke: Fragen an die sozialistische Lebensweise: Empirische Sozialforschung und soziales Wissen in der SED-Fürsorgediktatur.  (mehr)
• Christiane Reinecke: Krisenkalkulationen. Demographische Krisenszenarien und statistische Expertise in der Weimarer Republik. In: Moritz Föllmer, Rüdiger Graf (Hg): Die „Krise“ der Weimarer Republik. Zur Kritik eines Deutungsmusters, Campus, 2005. S. 209-240  (mehr)