The 42nd Congress of the German Sociological Association (DGS ), the most important congress for sociological research in Germany, will take place in Duisburg from September 22-26, 2025. This year's theme is "Transitions". Jan Schaller and Mara Börjesson from the TRAWOS team of the ELITENMONITOR research project will be taking part in the ad hoc group "Quo vadis Ostdeutschland(forschung)? Perspectives on persistence and dynamics in dealing with social change in the East". Under the title "Structures instead of stigma? A critical perspective on research into the underrepresentation of East Germans in elite positions", they critically examine the causes of the underrepresentation of East Germans (but also other underrepresented groups) and the derivation of recommendations for action aimed at the subject and argue for a multifactorial and structure-oriented approach.

The article argues for a reflexive turn in the study of social inequality, which does not problematize the behaviour of marginalized groups, but rather the social mechanisms of their exclusion. The case of East Germany is used as an example to discuss how research perspectives can be shifted - towards a structurally sensitive analysis that also offers connectivity for other social groups (e.g. people with a history of migration, children of workers).

The empirical basis of the article is formed by the findings of the Elitenmonitor research project of the University of Leipzig, Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, which quantitatively and qualitatively examines the underrepresentation of East Germans in elite positions in Germany on a broad basis.