A few days ago, the anthology **East Germany - identity, lifeworld or political invention?** edited by Lars Vogel, Astrid Lorenz and Rebecca Pates was published by Springer Fachmedien Verlag. In addition to contributions on living conditions and their political organization or the situation of civil society in East Germany, TRAWOS members Susanne Lerche and Jan Schaller also contribute an article.

Under the title **Perception of elites as a career obstacle for East Germans?**, the article examines how East Germans view elites along the analytical lines of age and career orientation and argues that although there are certainly skeptical to openly negative attitudes, the arguments and opinions are differentiated and affirmative references are also made.

The data is based on nine group discussions with a total of well over fifty participants from eastern Germany. Both older participants from the rural-peripheral area and younger and more career-oriented participants from urban centers were recruited. The evaluation showed that although negative attitudes towards the concept of elites dominate, this rejection is argued differently and tends to be expressed less strongly among younger participants. Rejection and distance are also derived less from a general lack of or dissatisfaction with democracy, but rather from particularly high expectations of an idealized elite compared to real perceived elite action.