A new entry is now available in the Qualiservice catalogue at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.986888. 

These are transcripts of qualitative individual and family interviews from the DFG-funded study “Religiosity in East Germany – Family Contexts of Transmission, Discontinuation and Reconstitution” (https://religiositaet-in-ostdeutschland. theologie.uni-halle.de/), which was or is being conducted by Hagen Findeis at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg from April 2022 to September 2027. 

The project examines how religious values and Christian religious practices are passed down and transformed within East German families over at least three generations. The focus is on reconstructing processes of familial socialisation and transmission within a social environment characterised by significant secularisation. To this end, 15 three-generation families from diverse social, ideological and religious backgrounds in East Germany were selected. The study combines qualitative individual interviews with representatives from each generation of the family and facilitated family discussions, in which photographs of everyday family life serve as a starting point for intergenerational exchange. The aim of the project was to comprehensively reconstruct the conditions, dynamics and challenges of religious socialisation in East German families, thereby contributing to an understanding of religiosity in secular societies. 

The anonymised transcripts of 34 individual interviews with family members and 10 family discussions are available for secondary use in research and academic teaching. The dataset offers a wide range of potential for further use in social science research on political culture in East Germany and related comparative studies, e.g. East-West comparisons of religious cultures or non-religious worldviews. It also lends itself to family studies (Doing Family) and research on the tension between religion and secularisation.