About us

The Centre for East German Studies (CEGS) was founded in 1994 to draw on research strengths within the Department of German Studies and to bring together interest in that part of Germany that came under Soviet occupation in 1945 and formed the territory of the GDR from 1949 to 1990, and which since unification has become known as the 'neue Bundesländer'.

The Centre's activities aim to provide an academic focal point within the United Kingdom for research into the culture, society, history, media, literature and film of this area from 1945 to the present.  The Centre focusses on building up an archive which makes relevant source material accessible to researchers.  Current projects include:

• organising specialist conferences and workshops
• publications accompanying these conferences and workshops
• managing the archive of GDR-related material
• supporting graduate and postgraduate research in East German Studies.

 The Centre for East German Studies has a co-operation agreement with the 'Stiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur', Berlin, a German government foundation devoted to the examination and reappraisal of the Communist dictatorship in East Germany.  This cooperation has resulted in conferences, publications and the organisation of an annual poster exhibition which tours British Universities.