AfAS in Duisburg: History of protests recorded in German archives

The archives of social movements in Germany are one of the most important case studies for us, as they are characterized by diversity, both in terms of forms of protest and the actors involved. The history of social movements in the country covers a wide spectrum of initiatives – environmental, labor, feminist, student and anti-globalist and many other movements. The German archives are an extremely valuable source of knowledge about resistance mechanisms, mobilization strategies and socio-political changes over the years.

As part of our project, we have been conducting study visits to Germany’s most important archives to explore the specifics of the resources collected there and the methods of processing them. One of the major sites we explored was the Archiv für alternatives Schrifttum (Afas) in Duisburg. This unique archive focuses on the documentation of alternative movements, offering a rich collection of materials related to various forms of social activism. The Afas collection includes a wide range of source materials – newspapers, newsletters, pamphlets, posters, banners, stickers, badges or audiovisual recordings.