Pedagogical Science and Secret Service in the GDR

In the book project the inofficial (and official) relationship between pedagogical science and the secret service in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) were analyzed.

Project Description

The investigation into the relationship between pedagogy and the politics in the GDR, which was completed in 2007 with the publication of the book "Die Akademie der Pädagogischen Wissenschaften der DDR im Spannungsfeld von Wissenschaft und Politik" (i.e. "The Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the GDR caught between science and politics", title in the library catalog), did not take into account the relationship between pedagogical science and the "Staatsicherheitsdienst (StaSi)", which means "secret service". Nevertheless, the author has continually collected and researched archival documents and personal data throughout the past decade, and further research has been carried out by staff at the Federal Commissioner’s Office for Records of the State Security Office of the Former GDR (BSTU), thus roughly 700 former members of the APW (Academy for Pedagogical Science of the GDR) were investigated regarding a possible activity as "Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter/-innen der Stasi" (inofficial secret service collaborators).

In 2015, the book "Agenten – Patrioten – Westaufklärer. Staatssicherheit und Akademie der Pädagogischen Wissenschaften der DDR" was published. Wiegmann relates by using the archival material on the inofficial secret service collaborators under their alias, how educational scientists were recruited, what their clandestine duties were und how they behaved during the reform of APW after the German reunification in 1990. About 14 percent of the academic staff of the APW were traceably working for the secret service.

In 2016, the research results were presented at several autor's readings and critically discussed.

Publikation

Wiegmann, Ulrich (2015): Agenten - Patrioten - Westaufklärer. Staatssicherheit und Akademie der Pädagogischen Wissenschaften der DDR. Berlin: Metropol-Verlag. 397 S. (Title in the library catalog)

Project Management

Project Details

Project type: Publishing project
Status:
Completed Projects
Duration:
01/2007 – 12/2016
Research field: Pedagogical Knowledge – Institutions, Practices and Actors
Contact: Ulrich Wiegmann