sociologist
Social philosopher Oskar Negt is dead
Oskar Negt in his study in Hanover in December 2017. photo
© Holger Hollemann/dpa
He was a pioneer of the student movement and a tireless fighter for democracy. The scientist Oskar Negt died on Friday at the age of 89 in Hanover.
The sociologist and social philosopher Oskar Negt died in Hanover at the age of 89 after a long illness. Negt was never just a man of theory, but always commented on current political problems and conflicts, said the Göttingen-based Steidl Verlag, which has published Negt’s books for 30 years, on Friday.
As a young scientist, Negt made a name for himself as a spokesman for the student movement. He studied in Frankfurt am Main with Max Horkheimer and received his doctorate in philosophy with Theodor W. Adorno. From 1962 to 1970 he worked as an assistant to Jürgen Habermas. From 1970 to 2002 he was a professor of sociology at the university Hanover.
Education was a focus of the sociologist. “Political adult education was a topic close to his heart,” said Steidl Verlag. Negt tirelessly reminded people that “democracy is the only form of government that has to be learned.” In 1972, Negt founded a reform school in Hanover that still exists today.
Politicians sought his advice
Politicians also repeatedly sought the advice of the sociologist, who once described himself as an SPD sympathizer. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, formerly a neighbor of the sociology professor in Hanover, also congratulated him on Negt’s 85th birthday.
In the summer of 2019, Steinmeier described Negt as a personality “who knows how to combine philosophical and sociological thinking and writing with political commitment.” Negt would have been 90 years old on August 1, 2024. “We mourn the loss of a companion and a warm-hearted friend,” said the publisher. Negt leaves behind a wife and four children.