It is a beautiful, albeit sometimes controversial, custom to thank all those who share responsibility for the outcome before engaging in a factual discussion. I would like to thank the Friedrich Ebert Foundation for a two-year doctoral scholarship, without which the text would likely have been much shorter. Godehard Baeck, Song-U Chon, Walter Heineken, Martin Kiwus, Werner Nothdurft, and Sue Wilcox provided me with valuable insights and suggestions. Reiner Loffler read all the manuscripts and timely raised his objections with cooperative advice. Ulrike Wilde and Jutta Stubbe familiarized me with essential techniques of identity trading and power struggles. Fred Lonker accompanied the progress of the work during our Sunday walks, which reinforced my perspective. I owe Professor Hans Paul Bahrdt my gratitude for a long-standing conversation that...