Self-reliance of Eastgerman Folklorists and Scientific Development(1945~1990)

After the reunification of Germany 1990 there began a discussion of science in dictatorship(GDR). It was asked, what was the legitimate function of science, how was the instrumentalization and how was the scientific praxis. This essay focuses on GDR Folklore as a case-study in this discussion. The author analyses the scientific development over 45 years and stresses thereby that methodological innovation using concepts of culture and way of life was possible in a peripheral discipline like folklore. On the other side, in the actual research practice, this methodological innovation was realized by the help of political power through the reform of academy of science 1969. Describing different behaviors shown by the GDR folkorists-opposition, resistance, compromise, adjustment, subordination etc.-in this process of politicizing of the discipline, the author reconstructs the self-reliance(Eigensinn) of the scholars, which was the mode to appropriate the given circumstances