Exiled in East Germany
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Sebastian Pampuch
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Funded by:
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
About this book
The presence of Africans in the German Democratic Republic is very rarely thought of in connection with the experience of exile. Instead, Africans in the GDR are predominantly viewed through the prism of educational and labor migration. While such research has undoubtedly produced valuable insights, it often fails to adequately account for the implicit Eurocentrism, methodological nationalism, and anti-communist bias inherent in Western knowledge production. This study offers a different approach. Through biographical portrayal, it unfolds the life stories of African freedom fighters who lived in exile in the GDR and, ultimately, remained in reunified Germany, with the main case study being a Malawian activist who was expelled from East to West Berlin. Recounting his experiences along with those of some South African exiles, chief among them a former medical worker for the ANC’s armed wing, the study ethnographically reconstructs the multiple entanglements between the “Second” and “Third” worlds from the vantage point of the politically displaced within the concrete historical contexts of African decolonization, the struggle against the Malawian Banda dictatorship, and the struggle against South African apartheid.
Author / Editor information
Sebastian Pampuch, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
Reviews
"In conclusion, this volume makes a significant contribution to the historiography of the relationship between the Second and Third Worlds by enriching the understanding of the GDR’s solidarity through the testimonies of two African freedom fighters." – Arianna Pasqualini, in Connections. A Journal for Historians and Area Specialists, 11.10.2024, http://www.connections.clio-online.net/publicationreview/id/reb-150605
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"Overall, Pampuch has provided us with a meticulously researched and fascinating study that contributes significantly to the state of the art by filling a critical gap in the literature on African exile and its intersections with the changing political dynamics between and within 'East' and 'South' during the Cold War, as well as between 'North' and 'South' in recent decades." – Immanuel R. Harisch (Universität Wien ), in H-Soz-Kult, 12.06.2025, https://www.hsozkult.de/publicationreview/id/reb-143701
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