Till Düppe – författare

History is replete with examples of scientists and social scientists working under the yoke of oppressive regimes. In The Closed World of East German Economists, Till Düppe tells the story of a generation of economists whose entire careers coincided with the forty-one-year existence of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In a micro-historical fashion, he examines the world of East German economists through the formative episodes in the lives of five different economists from this "hope" generation. Using both the perspective of the actors as expressed in interviews and archival material unknown to the actors, the book follows East German economics from the early days of the acceptance of Marxism-Leninism through to its interaction with Western economics and its eventual dissolution following the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It is fascinating insight into the challenges faced by economists in a unique period of European history.

The authors introduce the historical epistemology of economics as a broad historical approach for exploring the production of economic knowledge in particular historical settings. Instead of following the evolution of economic theories, historical epistemology addresses the practices economists rely on, the tools they work with, the material settings they work in, and the kinds of professional identities they adopt. Structured around the three themes of historicity, practices, and persons, the Element's sections illustrate this approach through a set of short, closely researched studies and commentaries. The authors demonstrate how historical epistemology discloses new ways of telling the history of economics, going beyond economists' own stories about their discipline. Historical epistemology emerges as a multifaceted and critical perspective that highlights contingency, practice, and lived experience. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.