George Bodie

Supervisors: Dr Kristin Roth-Ey and Prof Wendy Bracewell

Present status: PhD candidate

Working title of thesis: ‘Global GDR? Sovereignty, Legitimacy, and Decolonisation in the German Democratic Republic, 1960-1989’

Research: While the GDR is often depicted as an insular and autarchic entity, studying its international engagements beyond Europe reveals a more complex image: throughout its history it led a paradoxical existence as a state that was both dependent on transnational forces for its continued survival and one that was necessarily delineated from the capitalist world. As part of the international, AHRC-funded ‘Socialism goes Global’ network, my doctoral thesis explores five interweaving transnational encounters: educational exchange; tourism and travel; foreign policy expertise; domestic solidarity campaigns; and inter-governmental cultural collaboration, showing how the GDR’s transnational ties help us understand both everyday life and elite ideology in the former East German state.