Gerichtskonversationen

The book focuses on the first German grand court case against the neo-Nazi group NSU (2013–2018), whose members murdered, bombed, and robbed for over a decade, mainly targeting migrants. From a perspective of the sociology of professions, it traces conflicts between state-affirming lawyers and state-critical lawyers representing the victims. The latter sought to address institutional racism and the entanglement of intelligence services and the NSU, but were repeatedly blocked. The book argues that the trial failed to develop into a critical or transformative public event. Confined to a small courtroom and lacking a compelling narrative or dramaturgy, the proceedings often produced boredom rather than sustained attention. Additional chapters analyze legal commentaries and press coverage of the case.