Doctoral Degrees and Honorary Doctorates Awarded by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Navid Kermani Receives an Honorary Doctorate
The writer, a native of Siegen, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Siegen in recognition of his outstanding scholarly and non-scholarly work, and his inaugural lecture on the “generic masculine” sparked a lively discussion.

Dr. Navid Kermani, an Orientalist, Islamic scholar, writer, speaker, and intellectual, has received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Siegen. The ceremony took place as part of the week-long celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the University of Siegen, and as has often been the case these days, the Friedrich-Schadeberg Lecture Hall on the Unteres Schloss campus was filled with many interesting and interested guests, including Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Culture and Science. A significant portion of the audience knew the guest of honor personally, as Navid Kermani—who now calls Cologne home—was born and raised in Siegen. The city, to which the 54-year-old remains closely connected—where he holds many readings, where he went to school (“A school career that didn’t always go smoothly”), serves as a setting for his literary works (“Große Liebe”), and where he has now “become part of the University of Siegen” through the honorary doctorate, as Rector Prof. Dr. Holger Burckhart emphasized.
The Rector was visibly pleased that the event, which had to be postponed several times due to the pandemic, could now take place in this warm and welcoming setting. There was no distance between the podium and the audience. This was partly because, in his laudatory address, Prof. Dr. Jörg Döring bridged the gap between the professional and the personal when describing Kermani’s academic and non-academic achievements, introducing the guests to not only an Islamic studies scholar but also a philologist, travel reporter, speaker, and public intellectual. “Navid Kermani’s speeches are reprinted and listened to again and again. His public eloquence has revived interest in rhetoric,” praised Döring. The guest of honor—accustomed to grand appearances—nevertheless appeared personally moved by the setting and the occasion. “This is a special day for me,” Kermani emphasized, also referring to his family and the residents of Siegen whom Döring had mentioned in his laudatory speech.

The certificate was presented by Prof. Dr. Veronika Albrecht-Birkner, associate dean for academic affairs at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. With this honorary doctorate, the faculty is honoring an Islamic scholar, philologist, and writer. “An intellectual who can bring together the Basic Law and Hölderlin, crises and Kafka,” said Albrecht-Birkner. The audience rose to their feet for a long round of applause, and a genuine sense of joy—going beyond mere academic recognition—could be felt in the hall.

The guests were now eagerly awaiting the speech Kermani would deliver on this occasion. The topic of his lecture, “The Generic Masculine,” had already elicited reactions ranging from “enthusiasm to horror” in the run-up to the event, as Rector Burckhart revealed.
Kermani explored the topic in his own distinctive way—literarily and theologically—drawing comparisons to other languages and societies. Is the generic—or, in translation, neutral—masculine form exclusionary or pragmatically important? “No language in the world lists all genders every time it refers to a mixed group of people; that would be too cumbersome for everyday speech and too unwieldy for poetry,” said Kermani. Language is an expression of reality, including social reality and, where applicable, inequality. “But it is not a tool for changing reality.” Kermani suspects that the generic masculine will disappear from the German language. However, the 54-year-old adds: “I hope that the gender-neutral use of masculine nouns and pronouns will not be misunderstood as a provocation, at least not in my lifetime.”

The audience did not feel provoked by the discussion on the topic, but they certainly felt called upon to articulate opposing viewpoints. The panel discussion featured Minister Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen, linguist and Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Petra M. Vogel, theology professor Dr. Thomas Naumann (both from the University of Siegen), and Germanist Thomas Kronschläger (Technical University of Braunschweig). Kermani explained that he had chosen this topic out of respect for the university, which has a strong tradition in German studies. “And the topic is being strongly promoted by universities.” He urged that students not be told how they must write. “I get nervous when language rules are imposed from above,” Kermani admitted. Prof. Vogel emphasized that there is no such pressure at the University of Siegen. However, Naumann added that there is a guide for gender-inclusive language—one with which he struggles. “Because I’m torn about how to do it right.” Guidelines provide guidance; they don’t force anything, Kronschläger interjected. “Times are changing. We have to learn to think differently.”

It is important to leave it up to the individual to decide how to use language, explained Minister Pfeiffer-Poensgen. “Everyone must be granted that freedom.” Social change doesn’t just happen on its own, Kermani said in response to a follow-up question, but for many, gender-neutral language has become a battle. “But grammar is the wrong arena for this struggle. The instrumentalization of language damages not only the language itself but also the struggle,” he emphasized. Guidelines like those from the university are not a mandate “from above,” but rather the expression of a grassroots movement, countered panelists from the audience.

Moderator Armin Himmelrath sprinted through the lecture hall with the microphone to gather opinions and made it clear: “The discussion is not over at this point.” The university has set up an online forum to continue gathering feedback on Navid Kermani’s ideas. The new honorary doctorate recipient intends to remain in dialogue with his alma mater, the University of Siegen.

Rector Prof. Burckhart presented Navid Kermani with the commemorative volume “fünfzig. Zwischen Räumen. The University of Siegen in the years 1972 to 2022” and also thanked Minister Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen: “Like Navid Kermani, you, too, have a soft spot for Siegen. Our week of celebrations is characterized by dialogue between culture and academia, so I would also like to thank you in recognition of your work for the arts and culture, which was particularly outstanding in Germany during the pandemic.”

The ceremony featured musical performances by Prof. Martin Herchenröder (piano) and Carin Levine (flute). In addition to works by Bach, the musicians also performed the piece “Letzte Sicherheiten,” which Herchenröder, as a representative of contemporary music, wrote for Navid Kermani.

In the foyer, visitors could view an exhibition by students majoring in art, architecture, and social work. They had explored Navid Kermani’s literary work and the architecture of the city of Siegen.
 

Source: University of Siegen Press Office/Zeppenfeld 2022: https://www.uni-siegen.de/start/news/oeffentlichkeit/974987.html [January 14, 2025].

Freedom as a Life Theme—Honorary Doctorate for Heino Falcke

During a ceremony on November 29, 2012, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities awarded the Protestant theologian Dr. Dr. h.c. Heino Falcke the title of the 30th honorary doctorate from the University of Siegen. In honoring Heino Falcke, the Faculty recognized the retired provost of Erfurt primarily for his extraordinary commitment as a Protestant theologian critical of both the state and the church in the GDR, whose work, life, and research are dedicated to the theme of “Christian freedom.” This marked the Faculty of Arts and Humanities’ second honorary doctorate since its founding in 2011.

Heino Falcke, born in 1929, has provided significant impetus since the 1980s for the conciliar process for peace, justice, and the preservation of creation, as Prof. Dr. Veronika Albrecht-Birkner (Protestant Theology, Faculty of Philosophy School) explained in her laudatory address. This applies not only to his scholarly work, as evidenced by his numerous publications, but also to his extraordinary political commitment, which—through his involvement in the World Council of Churches even during the GDR era—already adopted a global perspective and, under the motto “Think globally—act locally,” and brought it to fruition in the work of local grassroots groups. Through this grassroots work—which the leadership of the Evangelical Church in the GDR viewed with some distance—Heino Falcke was among those who directly paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall. “They took the GDR seriously as a place of proclamation,” said Prof. Dr. Heinz-Günther Stobbe (Catholic Theology, School of Philosophy) in his laudatory address, adding: “His life and work unite conscious confessional commitment with an ecumenical spirit.”

Heino Falcke studied theology in Berlin beginning in 1946 and in Göttingen beginning in 1948. He also spent two semesters as a visiting student in Basel. In Basel, he served as an assistant to the influential theologian Karl Barth. In 1952, Falcke decided to move to the GDR to serve as a pastor. His reasoning was as follows: “Pastors and theologians of the Confessing Church during the ‘Third Reich’ had shaped me, and I was convinced that the theology I had learned from them was better suited to the churches that were under communist rule and oppressed by it.” After two years as an academic supervisor at the Preachers’ Seminary in Wittenberg, Falcke became an assistant in the Department of Systematic Theology at the Faculty of Theology in Rostock. A dissertation topic agreed upon with Karl Barth—“Friedrich Schleiermacher’s Social Doctrine”—was continued in Rostock and concluded in 1958 with the award of the degree Dr. theol. He completed his habilitation in 1961. To avoid conflicts of loyalty as a state-employed professor in the GDR, he entered the ministry. Finally, from 1973 to 1994, he served as Protestant provost in Erfurt.
Source: Kordula Lindner-Jarchow, “Freedom as a Lifelong Theme—Heino Falcke Awarded an Honorary Doctorate,” Press and Information Office of the University of Siegen, November 30, 2012.

Faculty of Arts and Humanities Awards Its First Honorary Doctorate to Pastor Ulrich Weiß

On May 11, 2011, the University of Siegen named Pastor Ulrich Weiß (1941–2011) as its 28th honorary doctorate recipient. For the Faculty of Arts and Humanities—which had absorbed the former departments 1 through 3 at the beginning of 2011—this was the first honorary doctorate it had ever awarded.

The decision followed a recommendation from the Department of Protestant Theology within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The honor recognized an individual who did not conduct his exceptional research work in a purely academic setting, who was deeply rooted in the region, and who was regarded as the preeminent expert on regional church history. Particular emphasis was placed on the connection and integration of practice and scholarship.

Rector Prof. Dr. Holger Burckhart also expressed his delight at the honor: “With this award, we are demonstrating that we also know how to value and honor exceptional careers in the academic field.” He added: “In Mr. Weiß, we are gaining a figure of great regional commitment and exceptional scholarly presence in the study of regional history.”

Ulrich Weiß was born in Altenhundem in 1941 and grew up in Niederdielfen. He earned his high school diploma at the Löhrtor Gymnasium in Siegen and studied theology in Tübingen, Heidelberg, and Göttingen. He completed his vicariate as inspector of the Reformed Study House in Göttingen and in the Christuskirche congregation in Siegen. After passing his second theological examination, he served for two years as academic inspector at the Reformed Preachers’ Seminary in Wuppertal. Both of his roles as inspector—in Göttingen and in Wuppertal—demonstrate that Ulrich Weiß has always been committed to the connection between scholarship and practice. For twenty-three years, he served as pastor of the Christuskirche congregation in Siegen (1978–2001), and for many years he also served as deputy superintendent and a member of the regional synod of the Evangelical Church.

Through numerous publications and countless lectures, Ulrich Weiß distinguished himself as a mediator of theological scholarship and, above all, the history of the church and theology. At the Wednesday Academy and the University of Siegen—increasingly after his retirement—he repeatedly offered events in which he mostly reflected on regional church history while also highlighting the distinctive characteristics of various church groups. His research interests centered on the critical study of the Reformed churches; other areas of focus included the church history of Hohenlimburg and the history of the Revival Movement in Siegen and Nassau. Ulrich Weiß passed away on June 30, 2011, at the age of 70. 
Source: Kordula Lindner-Jarchow, “University of Siegen Awards Pastor Ulrich Weiß an Honorary Doctorate,” University of Siegen Press and Information Office, May 16, 2011.
 

Honorary Doctorate for Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht
On June 27, 2007, the University of Siegen honored Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht, a “scholar” in the truest sense of the word. Originally a Romanist—or rather, a Hispanist—it is difficult today to categorize him within a single academic discipline.

Having worked in Siegen’s Department 3 from 1983 to 1989, he made lasting contributions during this time, particularly in establishing a graduate research program in the humanities funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)—the first of its kind at any German university. Renowned scholars such as Jürgen Habermas, Niklas Luhmann, Jean-François Lyotard, and Paul Watzlawick taught and worked at the Research Training Group “Forms of Communication as Forms of Life.”

Research and teaching at the University of Siegen were of an excellent standard long before buzzwords like “Excellence Initiative” or “elite education” were on everyone’s lips. In addition to the Siegen Research Training Group, the colloquia held at the InterUniversity Center Dubrovnik formed another foundation for the international reputation that Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht—and, with him, the Department of Romance Studies at Siegen—increasingly gained. Thanks to the colloquia in Dubrovnik (then still part of Yugoslavia), intensive collaboration between scholars from East and West was already well underway even before the fall of the Iron Curtain. A number of guests from the GDR and other Eastern European countries found their first substantial opportunities to engage with the Western academic context in Siegen during Gumbrecht’s time.

Numerous monographs, co-edited books and anthologies, nearly 300 scholarly essays, countless shorter scholarly contributions, and a wealth of commentaries, interviews, and statements—including on topics of academic and cultural policy—bear witness to his creative energy, which remains undiminished to this day. The experiences he gained as a professor at Stanford University in California and during countless stays at universities and research institutes around the world enabled Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht to comment critically on trends in academic policy in Germany and Europe. His articles—including those on the “Year of the Humanities 2009” in a renowned German daily newspaper—demonstrate him to be a profound expert and critic of his own discipline. The University of Siegen conferred the degree of Doctor honoris causa in recognition of the honoree’s outstanding scholarly achievements and, in this particular case, also for the inspiration that scholars of the humanities at Siegen have drawn—and continue to draw—from his work, even though he has long since moved his academic base to another location.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Gumbrecht is the fifth honorary doctorate recipient from the former Department 3 at the University of Siegen. The Romanist’s international recognition is further evidenced by honorary doctorates from the universities of Montevideo, Montreal, Saint Petersburg, Greifswald, Lisbon, Marburg, and Aarhus. 
Source: Kordula Lindner-Jarchow, “Honorary Doctorate for Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht,” University of Siegen Press and Information Office, June 28, 2007.

Honorary Doctorate for Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Iser – “A Credit to the University”
On October 24, 2003, the former Department of Language, Literature, and Media Studies awarded another honorary doctorate to the internationally renowned English scholar Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Iser (1926–2007) of the University of Konstanz and the University of California (Irvine).

Wolfgang Iser studied English, philosophy, and German language and literature in Leipzig, Tübingen, and Heidelberg. In 1950, he earned his doctorate in Heidelberg, where he also completed his habilitation seven years later. In 1960, he accepted a position at the University of Würzburg, where he assumed the chair of English Studies. After teaching for three years at the University of Cologne, he moved to the University of Konstanz in 1966. Together with Hans Robert Jauß and Hans Blumenberg, he was one of the founders of the research group “Poetics and Hermeneutics.” He gained international recognition through the development of his theory of the aesthetics of effect. 

In addition to his outstanding scholarly achievements, the academic ceremony paid special tribute to his inspiring influence on the expansion of the literary studies program at the Siegen department. Wolfgang Iser had visited Siegen on several occasions to foster connections between literary studies, cultural studies, and media studies, and he also delivered the opening lecture for the “Intermediality” research college in June 2002.

University Rector Prof. Dr. Theodora Hantos described the honoree as a figure who dared to think outside the box, who championed the next generation of scholars, and who—like few other scholars of the postwar era—had helped bring international recognition to the German humanities. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Iser is a “crowning glory for the university.” In his laudatory address, Prof. Dr. Ludwig Pfeiffer honored the English scholar as a defining figure in the field of literary studies. 

In his commemorative lecture titled “On the Concept of Culture,” Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Iser emphasized the University of Siegen’s willingness to experiment and expressed his gratitude for the special honor, which made him feel a particularly strong sense of belonging to the University of Siegen.  

In addition to the honor from the University of Siegen, Iser received the same distinction from the universities of Sofia, Bucharest, and Giessen. Furthermore, he was an honorary member of the British Comparative Literature Association and the Modern Language Association of America (MLA). He was also named an Honorary Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Iser died on January 24, 2007, at the age of 80. 
Source: Siegener Zeitung, October 25, 2003, p. 10.
 

Honorary Doctorate for Prof. Dr. George Mosse — “A Modest Gesture of Reparation”
By conferring an honorary doctorate on Prof. Dr. George Mosse on November 6, 1998, the University of Siegen continued its tradition of honoring outstanding scholars who were persecuted under National Socialism as a small gesture of reparation.

Rector Prof. Dr. Albert Walenta was delighted that the historian from the University of Wisconsin, already eighty years old, had traveled to Siegen specifically to accept the honor. However, this was not the first time Prof. Dr. George Mosse had visited the “City of the Crown.” He had already visited Siegen in 1977, when he came to the city for a colloquium on World War I.

In his laudatory address, literary scholar Prof. Dr. Klaus Vondung emphasized the high regard in which Mosse’s writings are held even beyond the field of history. The historian earned his international reputation primarily through studies on the intellectual landscape and political symbolism of the völkisch and National Socialist milieus in Germany since the late German Empire. In this regard, he concluded that National Socialism was able to flourish so strongly in Germany primarily because it appropriated myths from German culture and—in a perverted form—used them to attract a larger following. Mosse’s choice of research focus was closely tied to his own biography. He was born in Berlin in 1918, the son of an officer and the grandson of the newspaper publisher Rudolf Mosse, who shared his name. However, after the Nazis seized power, Mosse was forced to leave Germany because of his Jewish faith and emigrate first to England and later to the United States, where he began his academic career. He earned his doctorate in 1946 from the prestigious Harvard University and rose to become one of the leading historians of Nazism. Vondung emphasized that the honorary doctorate primarily honors Mosse the historian. “But it is also meant to be a modest gesture of atonement and a gesture of gratitude for helping us Germans understand what went wrong in our history.”

Due to the wide influence of his scholarly work, Prof. Dr. George Mosse received numerous other honors, including the Goethe Medal in 1988 and the Leo Baeck Medal from the Leo Baeck Institute in 1998. At the University of Wisconsin, the building housing the humanities was named after him, and in 2000, the American Historical Association established an award for outstanding work in the intellectual and cultural history of Europe since 1500, named the "George L. Mosse Prize." The scholar passed away on January 22, 1999, shortly after receiving an honorary doctorate from Siegen in Madison, Wisconsin.

Sources: Siegener Zeitung, November 7, 1998, p. 4; Westfälische Rundschau, No. 263, November 7, 1998, p. RSI 3.

"A Leader with Real-World Experience" Receives an Honorary Doctorate
On May 8, 1998, an honorary doctorate was awarded to Eckart Stein, editorial director of "Das kleine Fernsehspiel" at ZDF. It was the third such honor bestowed by the former Department 3. Dean Prof. Dr. Burkhart Schaeder praised Stein’s close ties to the media studies program in Siegen and to Collaborative Research Center 240, “Quality-Oriented Media Development and Planning.” Prorector Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Deiseroth praised the new honorary doctorate recipient as a “practitioner.” He noted that practical relevance is particularly emphasized at the local university.

The life and work of Eckart Stein were the focus of the lecture given by Prof. Dr. Helmut Schanze from Collaborative Research Center 240. Stein succeeded in achieving a special quality in television programming with the “Kleines Fernsehspiel” series. Numerous up-and-coming filmmakers had gained a foothold in the profession thanks to his dedication. Schanze paid tribute to Stein as a man who helped shape, witnessed, and documented the transformation of the media. Through his work, he made a decisive contribution to the emergence of the New German Cinema. 

The laudatory speech was delivered by Berlin filmmaker Jutta Brückner, who had received her first commission from Stein in March 1975. The honoree had supported her with both encouragement and constructive criticism. “At ‘Kleines Fernsehspiel,’ there was little money and a lot of freedom. An immense amount of artistry and sincerity was possible.” She thanked Stein for enabling her to become a filmmaker. 

In addition to the honorary doctorate from the University of Siegen, Eckart Stein received numerous other awards, including the Adolf Grimme Prize for the conception of the series “Das kleine Fernsehspiel” (1977), the Council of Europe’s Galilei Prize (1988), and the German television award “Telestar” (1994).
Source: Siegener Zeitung, May 11, 1998, p. 5.

Honorary Doctorate for Prof. Dr. Magdalena Sokolowska—Combining Academic Work with Social Engagement

The first honorary doctorate from the former Department 1 was awarded on October 29, 1987, to the internationally recognized Polish sociologist Magdalena Sokolowska. She had already been a guest at the Research Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences in 1978 and subsequently held several visiting professorships. In addition, she initiated the partnership agreement between the University of Siegen and the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. As part of this collaboration, numerous joint research projects were carried out between German and Polish scholars. 

Rector Prof. Dr. Rimbach recalled the fate of the Polish scholar, who was expelled from Germany in 1939 and deported to Bavaria in 1943 as a forced laborer for an SS Brigadeführer. “It would be only natural for someone who has experienced something like that to want nothing more to do with Germans for the rest of her life,” the Rector explained. The fact that Magdalena Sokolowska, on the other hand, acts as a “bridge-builder” is therefore all the more commendable. 

In his laudatory address, Prof. Dr. Rainer Geißler emphasized that the Polish sociologist of medicine is held in high esteem not only among her colleagues but also among health policymakers and the medical community. Her dissertation on the influence of housing density on the incidence of scarlet fever had already revealed the direction of her interests. Magdalena Sokolowska had combined her scientific work with a strong commitment to social causes. Even during her time as a factory physician, she distinguished herself through an inexhaustible drive—fueled by boundless energy—to make a difference, create something new, and help people. 

Since the 1960s, Prof. Dr. Magdalena Sokolowska had been a staff member and advisor to the World Health Organization. From 1978 to 1982, she served as vice president of the International Sociological Association. The Polish scientist died in 1989 at the age of 67. 

Source: Siegener Zeitung, October 30, 1987, Issue 2, p. 1.
 

The Honorary Doctorate Awarded to Prof. Dr. Leo Löwenthal as a Symbol of Reconciliation

In the presence of numerous guests from the worlds of politics, academia, the judiciary, public administration, and the student body, Prof. Dr. Leo Löwenthal (1900–1993) was awarded an honorary doctorate by Department 3 of the University of Siegen on May 24, 1985, in the Blue Lecture Hall. It was the second honor of this kind that the department had bestowed.

In his welcoming address, Rector Prof. Dr. Gerhard Rimbach cited the Jewish saying, “The secret of reconciliation is remembrance,” and asked whether the Jewish scholar was even willing to accept the honorary doctorate. Anticipating the Nazi regime’s tyranny, Prof. Dr. Löwenthal had emigrated to the United States in 1933. In this context, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Rimbach recalled the failure of German scholars to stand up for their Jewish colleagues. Likewise, Rimbach noted, the German student body had paved the way for the Holocaust with its book burnings. The willingness to accept the honorary doctorate, Rimbach argued, was therefore a sign of reconciliation—through which the guilt of the Germans would be forgiven.  

In his laudatory address titled “Leo Löwenthal—a (Not Only Intellectual) Concept of Style,” Prof. Dr. Hans Gumbrecht paid tribute to the life and work of the Jewish scholar. After studying law, mathematics, philosophy, and sociology, he found the initial inspiration for his research through his engagement with Zionism and the European Enlightenment. In 1926, he began working at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, whose relocation abroad (first to Switzerland, then to the U.S.) he had prepared prior to the National Socialists’ seizure of power. From America, he fought Nazism through scholarly reviews of propaganda articles and speeches.  

In 1956, Löwenthal was appointed to a professorship at the University of California, Berkeley, where he continued to work even after his retirement. Together with Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse, he was one of the co-founders of Critical Theory.  

The sociologist of literature received additional honorary doctorates from the University of Hamburg and the Free University of Berlin. In 1989, he was awarded the Theodor W. Adorno Prize. Prof. Dr. Leo Löwenthal died on January 21, 1993, in Berkeley, California. 

Source: Siegener Zeitung, May 23, 1985, Vol. 1, p. 3.

 

An Act of Redress—The Honorary Doctorate for Käte Hamburger

On June 25, 1980, the Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies awarded its first honorary doctorate. The honor went to the renowned Germanist Prof. Dr. Käte Hamburger (1896–1992). In the presence of numerous professors, lecturers, and students, Founding Rector Artur Woll emphasized that the appointment was not only a tribute to her scholarly achievements but also an act of reparation—one that newly founded universities, in particular, could carry out impartially. Forced into exile by the Nazis because of her Jewish ancestry, Käte Hamburger emigrated to Sweden in 1934. After working there as a journalist, writer, and language teacher, she returned from exile to Germany in 1956. In 1922, she had earned her doctorate in Munich under the supervision of Clemens Baeumker with a dissertation on Friedrich Schiller titled “Schiller’s Analysis of Humanity as the Foundation of His Philosophy of Culture and History: A Contribution to the Problem of Individualism, Based on His Philosophical Writings.”

In his laudatory address on Hamburger’s scholarly work, Prof. Dr. Helmut Kreuzer highlighted her achievement in identifying Kantian influences in the works of significant playwrights and novelists. Also worthy of note is her work *The Logic of Poetry*, in which she examined the effect of poetic language and thereby arrived at a new perspective that is based not on the aesthetics of poetry but on the logic of poetry.

In her commemorative lecture, Prof. Dr. Käte Hamburger addressed the topic “Fear and Pity—a Lessing Problem.” Starting from the Aristotelian definition of tragedy, which is based on the four concepts of pity, fear, emotions, and catharsis, Käte Hamburger portrayed the latter two concepts as controversial not only because of their Aristotelian origins but also due to the confusion they caused in the 16th and 17th centuries. Eighteenth-century poetry, she argued, was therefore shaped solely by the concepts of “pity” and “fear.” Lessing had elevated Aristotle’s model to an absolute and attempted to resolve the contradictions that had arisen in the definition of pity and fear by placing pity in the service of humanity.

In addition to an honorary doctorate from the University of Siegen, Prof. Dr. Käte Hamburger was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 1966, the Medal of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg in 1984, and the Schiller Memorial Prize in 1989. The university town of Göttingen honored Käte Hamburger by naming a street after her, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research honored her with the “Käte Hamburger Kolleg,” a funding program for the humanities. She passed away at the age of 95 on April 8, 1992, in Stuttgart.

Source: Siegener Zeitung, June 26, 1980, p. 4.