2 - Postcolonial Spaces and Postsocialist Realities: The Stasi, African Mobility, and Security Threats in the Divided Cold War City of Berlin

Understanding the historical dynamics of peace and conflict extends beyond mere facts; it requires a nuanced historicization of conflicts, events, and methodologies, and the ethical reflection of the knowledge constructed. This paper seeks to integrate postcolonial concepts within postsocialist research to gain deeper insights into the Global Cold War and its enduring legacies in peace and security. By examining the empirical case of African mobilities in the divided city of Berlin, this study explores the agency of actors involved in Eastern solidarity projects and their navigation across the Berlin Wall. While the East German Stasi famously amassed millions of documents on its own citizens, what can we learn about those who frequently crossed borders but were highly marginalized? This paper investigates the knowledge generated about these individuals and the security information collected on them. It will analyze how the divided city's context influenced mobility patterns and the stereotypes that emerged in Stasi security reports as threatening the public security. Furthermore, the presentation will address the ethical considerations necessary when engaging with Stasi files in contemporary research on postcolonial hierarchies.