POLITICS, PLACE AND GERMAN REUNIFICATION - A REALIGNMENT APPROACH

The union of the two postwar German states appeared to a shared histor ical experience of 'Germany' justifying reunification. At die same tim e divergent lived experiences of 40 years on either side of die iron C urtain mean that reunification is not the mirror image of division. Th ere has to be readjustment from both sides at various spatial scales. Meaning and significance must be bargained for, requiring restructurin g and renewed realignment at all scales. This process is placed in the broader theoretical context which considers the spectrum of nation-st ate formation and division, partition and reunification, involving the interrelationships between spatial scales, historical developments, e conomic and political aims, symbolisms of place and geopolitical conce rns. Two examples illustrate the contested nature of this restructurin g at regional, national and European levels: the fate of the Zonal Bor der Area regional development programme and the Bonn-Berlin debate of 1991.