Marginal But Not Powerless: Local Politics in an Eastern German Town Corliss, Catherine Lynne creator 2012 xiv, 162 p. born digital Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2012) Jones Luong, Pauline Director , Director Blyth, Mark Reader Morone, James Reader Brown University. Political Science sponsor theses This dissertation examines a debate over a mosque in the eastern German village of Heinersdorf as an instance of grassroots civic action in a post-communist society. In this case, a marginalized community that lacked preexisting leaders and organizations established an engaged and enduring citizens’ initiative. On the surface, and according to many media outlets and Western observers, this story is one of ignorant and xenophobic easterners who do not want a mosque in their village. Yet the debate is about far more than just Islam or the articulations of religion, citizenship, and local level politics. While the mosque may have been the catalyst for action, it was not the cause. The events in Heinersdorf reveal a complex relationship between the East and the West that has only intensified since reunification and a village seeking to reestablish the networks and connections that it once had. The mosque debate launched villagers on a new political path, away from disinterest and inactivity and toward active civic engagement. Three factors provide an explanation for the puzzle: an identity forged during and after the transition, new informal networks that harkened back to a time before reunification, and an emergent leader combined to create a lasting citizens’ initiative. marginalization social capital Civil societyPost-communismSocial capital (Sociology)IslamGermany RPB 20121023 engEnglish10.7301/Z01R6NTVIn CopyrightCollection is open for research.dissertations