Afraid of Change: 1989–90 in the East German Saxon Province

This paper will focus a local community of Protestants with roots stretching back to the Early Modern period, called the Herrnhuter, who managed to maintain continuity through the many radical changes in German history by constantly adapting to the prevailing political sentiments.  They participated in missionary work in the service of the German colonial expansion, and in the GDR, they developed an official identity as "anti-colonial" and "anti-racist" – radically different from their previous generation's identities, and yet they maintained their own sense of autonomy within the larger context of the GDR.  When the Wall fell, they adapted once again—the question at the core of this paper is, were local identities such as the Herrnhuter preserved beyond the reach of the GDR, therefore allowing them to continue existing after the GDR was gone, or did adaptation to ensure survival mean a fundamental alteration of their identities?