A Gender History of the Ministry for State Security (MfS) of the GDR

PhD Student: Daniel R. Bonenkamp, Supervisor: Isabel Heinemann

This PhD project analyzes the history of the Ministry for State Security (MfS) of the GDR from a gendered perspective in order to understand how gender differences influenced the power structures within the secret police and its overall function. The research uses the discipline of gender history to examine how gender inequalities were created and maintained in the MfS and what role women played in this male-dominated organization.

The first thematic area looks at gender relations in the GDR and their impact on the Stasi, particularly in the context of different forms of masculinities and an ageing, gerontocratic government apparatus and society. Historical backgrounds, including experiences of the old communists during the Weimar Republic, in exile and under Nazi persecution, are included in the analysis to understand the emergence and development of gender identities in the MfS.

The second part focuses on the career opportunities of women in the Stasi and analyzes the role of women's advancement starting with the women's communiqué of 1961 up to the legislative changes of the 1960s and their influence on gender equality in the following decades. Intersectional factors such as social class and body concepts, which influenced the career opportunities and everyday life of female employees, are also considered.

The third section is dedicated to the agency of women within the MfS. The focus is on the Women's Commission of the Politburo inside the MfS and its efforts to enforce political guidelines regarding the female workforce. The study also looks at how women were integrated into the MfS, formed their group identity and acted as Chekists.

Finally, the project links the gender history of the MfS with international historical research on communism and argues for a more comprehensive classification of the GDR in the global history of communism in the 20th century. In doing so, the emancipatory promise of equality of socialist ideology is critically scrutinized, especially about its implementation in an institution that possessed both financial and political power to promote equality.

Founded by the Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur: Link