In the Shadow of Scientism

Society–Knowledge–Discourse

Project Description

DFG-funded Research Project

Initial Questions and Objectives

It is well known that in the German Democratic Republic, against the backdrop of the ‘scientific worldview’ of Marxism-Leninism, propagated by the state, all ‘paranormal’ topics in the broadest sense were considered ‘dark superstition’ and were systematically discredited in public discourse. However, beyond the public discrediting of these topics, virtually nothing was known about their significance in GDR society. Specifically asked:

What did GDR citizens think about topics such as telepathy, premonitions, poltergeist phenomena- and ghost experiences, parapsychology, astrology, alternative medicine or UFOs?

Regardless of the public announcements, were the population’s preoccupation with the relevant content and the associated practices really suppressed or did they at least continue to exist in secret?

These questions formed the background of the historical-sociological research project “In the shadow of scientism. Dealing with heterodox knowledge, experiences and forms of practice in the GDR”, that ran from September 2013 to the end of 2017 and was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Using the subject of the ‘paranormal’ as an example, the project investigated the relationship between orthodox and heterodox knowledge and forms of practice in the GDR, with a focus on the sociology of knowledge. The project had three main objectives:

The reconstruction of the GDR’s state attitude towards the topic of the ‘paranormal’ based on a topic-related analysis of public discourse

The determination of institutional patterns of practice in relation to the selected subject area

The analysis of ways of dealing with the field of knowledge, action and experience of the ‘paranormal’ in lifeworld

Institutional Action and Social Control:

The GDR’s public discourse on the ‘paranormal’ was clearly accompanied by a defensive struggle against propagated superstition, supported by institutions and realised with considerable effort, especially in the early days of the GDR. This struggle manifested itself in the form of legal prohibitions, censorship, control, and sometimes drastic persecution and punitive measures.

The paranormal in the GDR Lifeworld:

From the mid-1960s at the latest, paranormal themes, practices and stocks of knowledge existed in the GDR population only in very small numbers and in a highly concealed form. The paranormal in the GDR can therefore be seen as an example of a successfully marginalized heterodoxy, which in the end had virtually no social or cultural relevance. This can be seen as a direct consequence of the discursive and institutional measures taken by the GDR state leadership against the ‘paranormal’, whereby other possible influencing factors such as the strong secularization tendency of East German regions, which goes back further in history, must also be taken into account.