Regimes of truth and the discontent of memories: Self-deception and denial during the growing together of the two Germanies

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Abstract

This chapter departs from combining Foucault’s concept of ‘regimes of truth’ and Hannah Arendt’s poignant observations about ‘factual truths’ as fundamental and at the same time contested prerequisites for a democratic polity. It argues that public discourses during the post-communist transformation were marked by a systematic insincerity with regard to the representation of the multifaceted and fractured processes of change and rupture which the German economy, society and culture had to undergo during the so-called unification crisis of the 1990s. In particular, turning a blind eye to the revitalization of aggressive and violent nationalism and chauvinism is identified as having been part of the widespread unwillingness to confront the negative aspects of post-communist transition in unified democratic Germany.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRemembering the Neoliberal Turn
PublisherTaylor and Francis, Hoboken
Pages93-111
Number of pages19
ISBN (electronic)9781000933604
ISBN (print)9781032553337
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

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