„Völkerfreundschaft“ als innenpolitischer Sprechakt

Ambitionen, Begrenzungen und Folgen des Konzepts für interkulturelle Begegnungen in der DDR

Abstract

With a specific focus on labour migrants from other socialist countries who came to the GDR from the 1960s onwards, this article explores how interculturality and integration were addressed in East German society, both politically and in daily life. Against this backdrop, the concept of “peoples’ friendship”, originally employed within the scope of foreign affairs, became increasingly important. The article analyses the ambitions and limitations of this concept as manifested during the Honecker era, discussing its possible consequences beyond the historical watershed of 1989-90. In doing so, it links research on a specific GDR context with the broader question of the power and powerlessnesss of language in intercultural communication and integration.