Education Through Work in Cottbus: Making GDR Injustice and Forgotten Life Paths Visible
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When a State Label Determined a Life
The traveling exhibition "Education Through Work. 'Asocials' as Enemies of the State in the GDR" brings a long-suppressed chapter of GDR history to light at the Human Rights Center Cottbus. In the historical context of the Zuchthaus Cottbus memorial site, visitors encounter individual life paths, photographs, documents, and filmic testimonies from witnesses and experts.
Fourteen Biographies Against Forgetting
At the center are fourteen biographies of people who were stigmatized, excluded, disciplined, or criminalized under the so-called asocial paragraph 249 of the GDR Penal Code. This affected, among others, people without regulated work, individuals with unconventional lifestyles, prostitutes, punks, applicants for exit permits, and people with politically undesirable views.
Documents of Politically Orchestrated Exclusion
The exhibition examines how the vague definition of so-called asocial behavior was used for state repression. Those who did not conform to the ideal image of the socialist person could be declared enemies of the state. The presentation shows paths to homes, youth work farms, and detention, and makes it clear that the consequences of the conviction extended far beyond the end of imprisonment.
Historical Lines and Social Responsibility
The broader contemplation of the work extends beyond the GDR. It addresses predecessors of paragraph 249 in the German Empire, in National Socialism, and in early GDR, as well as comparable concepts in Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. The portrayal of so-called asocial individuals in propaganda and media is also critically contextualized.
An Exhibition Atmosphere at the Place of Remembrance
Photos, documents, historical film footage, and personal testimonies combine academic research with an intense aesthetic experience. The focused presentation directs attention to language, power, and the question of how societal norms can contribute to the exclusion of individuals. At the Human Rights Center Cottbus, GDR history is not only experienced as teaching material but also as an immediate engagement with human dignity and responsibility.
Cultural Education and Historical Contemplation of Work
The exhibition by exhibeo e.V. was created in cooperation with the Union of Victims' Associations of Communist Tyranny e.V. and is supported by several institutions focused on political education and historical revision. It connects historical research, curation, and cultural education to create an artistic experience of memory culture.
Conclusion: An Important Visit Against Forgetting
The exhibition awaits its audience with individual fates, historical documents, and an intense examination of state stigmatization. Those who wish to understand how paragraph 249 excluded people and destroyed life paths will encounter an important aesthetic experience and political educational journey in Cottbus. A visit is recommended for all who want to consciously experience GDR history, human rights, and memory culture live.
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- Website: https://erziehung-durch-arbeit.de/cottbus-menschenrechtszentrum-ev
