After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the political unification of East and West Germany, the joy over unity quickly gave way to a profound sense of alienation between easterners and westerners. It was said that the Berlin Wall was simply replaced by the walls in the minds of people. The Berlin police force is one of the few organizations in united Germany in which easterners and westerners have been forced to work together, and Andreas Glaeser takes advantage of this unique opportunity to examine how the police officers relate to each other and to understand their expectations and hopes, their attitudes toward work and their understanding of democracy and morality. Accompanying East and West German police officers on their daily patrols through Berlin, Glaeser gathers firsthand accounts that help to illustrate why East and West Germans remain deeply divided. The result of his study is a theory of identity that moves beyond the dominant concerns with race, class and gender to describe how experiences of otherness and sameness are constructed in social interaction.

About the Author
Andreas Glaeser is associate professor of sociology at the University of Chicago.

Reviews
"A curious puzzle lies at the heart of Glaeser's skillful ethnography.... The dominant reason given for unifying Germany was a shared nationality. Yet as Glaeser convincingly illustrates, the process of unification has foundered on the very shoals of cultural difference.... This book is fascinating, theoretically rich, and empirically rewarding." - Martha Lampland, American Journal of Sociology



Book Information
ISBN 9780226297835
Author Andreas Glaeser
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 680g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 16mm * 3mm