Annika Frieberg

Ph.D. Student
annika@email.unc.edu

Major Field: German History

Other Fields: East European History

Advisor: Konrad Jarausch

Research Interests: My dissertation focuses on the emergence of a transnational network of journalists and intellectuals and their importance for Polish-German reconciliation, 1956-1970.

The early West German correspondents to Warsaw for press and radio as well as Polish Catholic intellectuals had key roles in this network. My larger interest is the practical impact of their loosened or alternative national identities on dialogue and policy. I use articles, radio manuscripts, private correspondences and interviews to examine these points of intersection.

The extension of this network across borders and the respective intellectual positions between national cultures makes my dissertation a contribution to recent debates about transnational history. My project further considers the implications of cultural diplomacy and the impact of non-state actors (media, church) on East-West European relations after the Second World War.