Die "Entdeckung" des modernen Islams in der DDR nach 1979

This lecture examines the sudden and unexpected prominence of Islam as a central research topic in Middle East studies in the GDR after 1979, arguing that the Iranian revolution and the resurgence of religion that it symbolised represented a shock moment for Marxist approaches in area studies.
East German researchers were initially unable to meet this challenge and could hardly draw on expertise to integrate the study of religious phenomena into their worldview. However, as the global promise of the Iranian revolution waned in the early 1980s, the tried and tested socialist perspectives became more acceptable again. This meant denouncing "sensationalist" Western approaches to Islamic rebirth while arguing that the Iranian revolution had failed to fulfil its potential because it had not succeeded in eliminating capitalism and its laws.