Sich treu geblieben? Symbolische Grenzziehungen in inner-ostdeutschen Sozialgefügen vor dem Hintergrund des Nachwendeschocks

This article presents findings from a study on the post-1989 period in former East Germany based on interviews with 41 respondents who experienced the fall of the Wall as young adults. Using semi-structured interviews, it discusses the symbolic boundaries respondents draw with reference to experiences of other people after 1989. These boundaries serve to construe a legitimate "we"-feeling against the backdrop of the period. Two patterns of boundary drawing are revealed: First, respondents set themselves apart from individuals who took political advantage of reunification (the "turncoats"); second, they reject individuals whose experience of upward or downward social mobility after 1989 is regarded as having impacted their character negatively. With respect to the latter, the article reveals breaks in once strong ties (especially ties of friendship) as an important type of symbolic boundary- drawing. In light of these findings, this underscores the significance of the ethics of staying true to yourself against the backdrop of collective post-1989 crisis experience - an ethics in which socio-economic and moral boundaries intersect.