Point Alpha Research Institute e.V.

The Cold War divided Europe into East and West, but at the same time it was a global conflict that divided the world into two ideological camps that directly bordered each other at Point Alpha ("the hottest point of the Cold War"). In the so-called Third World, the two camps of the Cold War were linked by competing visions of a modernity of their own made possible by decolonisation, also in contrast to the superpowers ("non-alignment"). In this view, which extends far beyond Europe, the Cold War increasingly appears as a polycentric conflict in which, of course, local everyday life - as in the border region in the Rhön around Point Alpha - could be characterised by political antagonisms and systemic rivalries.

A special role was played here by the American allies, or initially the occupying forces, who acted locally and developed Point Alpha into an observation base. In the western part of Europe, the supranational European unification process began after the Second World War with American support, which also included the states of Central and Eastern Europe from the end of the Cold War. At the same time, the 1950s to 1980s were characterised by the "Americanisation" of the West, the strong cultural, business and socio-political influences of the USA on Western Germany and Europe. The area east of the border, on the other hand, was characterised by interaction with Soviet power. These different "occupation histories" have left deep traces in the collective memory, right down to everyday practice.

The research institute aims to explore the dynamics between global and local conflict constellations. It is also interested in the actions and experiences of those actors who attempted to undermine, if not overcome, the multiple boundaries of the Cold War in a variety of ways. In addition, there is the question of how the Cold War still characterises the German and European present today. With this approach, the planned institute will open up new perspectives on the reunification of the two German states, European unification and the aftermath of the Cold War since the end of state socialism.

Topics:

Transdisciplinary research on the history of division and the Cold War; effects of global constellations on local spaces and regions; social, cultural and political after-effects of the Cold War; research on reunification and the period following reunification and its significance for the region in Europe and the world (including interweaving the East-West and North-South axes of perspective).

Point Alpha symbolises the division of Germany and Europe, but also the history of reunification. Borders, and in particular the fortified border between East and West, prevented mobility during the Cold War - as they do today. Nevertheless, from a systematic point of view, they can be seen as catalysts for the development of local practices, cultures and identities: Borders in the form of lines on a map clarify the notion of political spaces; however, from the perspective of everyday history, political borders also mark specific spaces of experience, as they not only divide but also potentially connect. In their political function, borders should divide cities, regions and nations on paper as well as in everyday life, but, almost paradoxically, they can and could also manage to condense communication.

The research institute will explore the political, social, religious and business conditions in border regions and at the same time examine border areas as spaces of intensive (transnational) communication. What does it mean to live on a border that is linked to a global conflict? How were the associated restrictions negotiated in the border region? How were they introduced or implemented by force? How was the border portrayed in public? And how did this contrast with the experience of the border in everyday life? Borders are not static, but are created by being drawn, marked and fortified: But what remains of a border when it loses its meaning and power? In this respect, the former political border between East and West is also of interest in memory.

Topics:

Dynamics and practices of border experiences and border crossings (spatial and social, formal and informal, border-making/border-breaking); meanings and narratives of political spaces and borders, intercultural encounter(s) and transnational migration; alliances of states, conventions, criminality.

Historically, the border at Point Alpha was a global political border between two different conclusions drawn from the Enlightenment (liberalism vs. socialism), and subsequently between Western liberal democracy and real socialist authoritarianism. With the end of the Cold War, the liberal model of Western democracy was very soon proclaimed the "winner of history" (Fukuyama), and initially this diagnosis - in view of the third wave of democratisation - seemed to be correct. Democracy is not static, but alive and in motion - it lives from democratic institutions and democratic practice, and it is based on citizens' fundamental support for and belief in democracy. Democratic institutions are shaped by democratic practice, democratic practice can be constrained or suppressed by institutions, but it can also democratise institutions. Each of these elements is changeable and embedded in, or the result of, social dialogues and conflicts.

Since the turn of the millennium, the Western liberal model of democracy has been confronted with numerous global challenges: There has been a strengthening of illiberal and/or populist ideas, actors, parties and governments; citizens' support for democracy is declining significantly in some states; technocracy and digitisation are changing the basics of democratic action; and societies are becoming increasingly differentiated and divided, on the one hand into different interest groups, and on the other along income and education lines. We are experiencing opposing dynamics: on the one hand, democratic practices are evolving and new forms of participation are emerging (e.g. citizens' forums); on the other hand, democratic institutions are being undermined or called into question globally, and democratic practice itself (e.g. protests, demonstrations) is contributing to this. Criticism of democracy is sometimes informed by historical traditions and/or perpetuates historical divisions in new conflicts. Criticism of democracy is often linked to criticism of European unification.

The ideological, political, social and territorial divisions of the Cold War continue to have an impact and influence current divisions and conflicts, both within the European Union and globally. Borders structure not only territories and national territories, but also spheres of power and influence. Current global challenges to democracy thus go hand in hand with ideological and political differences between different spheres of power - for example, (right-wing) populist and authoritarian regimes (e.g. Hungary, Russia, China) are actively undermining the Western liberal model of democracy. This often goes hand in hand with economic dominance strategies in which non-democratic states use their economic power to create new dependencies (e.g. China, Belt and Road Initiative), to restructure global power relations and, in doing so, to call the Western liberal model of democracy into question. The research institute aims to analyse such mechanisms regionally, nationally and globally in order to counteract them and contribute to strengthening democratic practice.

Topics:

Global challenges to democracy from a comparative perspective and local, regional and national characteristics; democracy and European unification; the transition to democracy in the former GDR and current conflicts between West and East German states and democratic cultures; possibilities for revitalising and stabilising democracy; the imaginary of democracy; global political fault lines and democracy.