Football from Mielke to Merkel. Continuity, Discontinuity and Alteration in Fan Culture in East(ern) Germany The objective of the thesis is to examine the dialectical relationship between identity formation among football fans in East(ern) Germany on the one hand and the political, social and political changes in the GDR and Germany from 1965 to 2015 on the other. In the thesis I examine how various dichotomies and paradoxes such as unity and division, east and west, empowerment and disempowerment and success and failure on the football field have influenced identification with football clubs. The thesis rests on two foundations. The first one is the historical and social context, which football fan culture is part of: East(ern) Germany before and after the German re-unification. The second foundation, and arguably the most important one, is the voices of the interviewed football fans and their narratives on the importance of football. The thesis is based on empirical data from interviews and participating observations carried out with football fans of BFC Dynamo, FC Erzgebirge Aue, 1. FC Magdeburg and 1. FC Union Berlin. In the thesis I argue that identity formation can be understood in the light of three different narrative levels. The first level is linked to hegemonic discourses that emanate from state, ideologies and economic, social and political structures. The second level deals with narratives of local or regional communities, such as a football club and its connection to place. The third level, finally, is the individual narrative and its relation to the first and second levels. In the thesis I make use of discourse theories to demonstrate how intimately linked identity formation and narratives are and how hegemonic discourses both circumscribe and render identities possible. Since changes in East(ern) Germany serve as a background for analysing identity formation in fan culture, nation and power are used as analytical tools to distinguish different discourses and structures which influence identities and narratives. The study demonstrates how football fan culture in the GDR was characterized by a certain amount of freedom. To some extent this was both tolerated and encouraged by the GDR authorities. However, from the 1970’s football fans were quite often positioned as troublesome by the GDR-regime. Hence football stadiums have been looked upon as venues for political protests that paved the way for the demise of the GDR and German re-unification. Admittedly, the narratives of the fans confirm that the crowds occasionally articulated discontent with the GDR. The interviewees, however, also claim that football did not have the political function that the Evangelical Church or Neues Forum had. The narratives reveal that football lost its importance during die Wende. New structures and hegemonic discourses challenged established social practices and structures of East(ern) Germany. The merger of the two German football associations resulted in a subordinate position for the former GDR clubs and their fans. As a result, the issues of both nation and power became important aspects of fan culture. The study reveals East(ern) Germany identities that did not exist in the GDR. The remaining inequality between clubs from east and west and reactions to west German prejudices on football fans from East(ern) Germany are examples of how East(ern) German identities have come to the fore after 1990. Although the narratives reveal different and changing identifications with East(ern) Germany they still emphasize an appreciation of being part of a unified Germany. Football fan culture in East(ern) German is a rare cultural phenomenon that constructs coherent narratives, connecting the GDR with the Federal Republic. By studying how these narratives are constructed one avoids interpreting the GDR as an anomaly in German history. Thus, the thesis contributes with new knowledge regarding fan culture as well as the German re-unification from an East(ern) German perspective.