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In Memoriam: Georg G. Iggers (1926–2017)

In Memoriam: Georg G. Iggers (1926–2017) Australian Journal of Politics and History: Volume 64, Number 1, 2018, p.175. In Memoriam: Georg G. Iggers (1926-2017) Professor Georg Iggers died suddenly in Buffalo on 26 November after a long and productive scholarly life that was characterized by his magnanimity of spirit, his humanity and his never-ending fight for human rights against all forms of racism and political oppression. He must also be numbered among the most influential historical thinkers of our time. His life’s work may be summed up as a heroic attempt to promote international understanding and peace by reconciling the nations through understanding of each other’s history. Born in Hamburg into a Jewish family, survival was made possible by emigration to the USA in 1938. On the other side of the Atlantic he continued his schooling in Richmond, Virginia which saw the beginning of his acculturation into North American civilization while at the same time maintaining the continuity of his commitment to the Synagogue. Understanding the other and the liberating of the oppressed were the distinguishing features of Iggers’ world view. With this basic commitment, then, how did Iggers become the towering international authority he was? Certainly he was well known in Australia having been twice a key- note speaker at conferences here, a guest professor at the University of New England Armidale (February-March 1999) and a friend of this journal, but Iggers was equally acclaimed throughout Europe as well as East Asia. In his autobiography written with his scholarly wife, Wilma, Zwei Seiten der Geschichte (2002), Iggers recounts his scholarly beginnings at Richmond, followed by stints in Chicago and New York where he encountered and engaged with some of the giants of American humanistic scholarship. This resulted in his change of direction from linguistics to history and his pioneering doctoral thesis on Saint Simon which became The Cult of Authority. The Political Philosophy of Saint Simon (1958). His next major study was The German Conception of History (1968) which was quickly translated into German, thus establishing his rapidly growing international reputation. In this work Iggers traced the fateful nationalistic tradition in German historiography from Hegel to the present, thereby illustrating the political-pedagogic importance of all national historiography. Iggers’ interest in transcending the limits of older nationalist historiography led to efforts to find and befriend interlocutors in other countries, especially those in totalitarian th ones. The outcome of these efforts included works such as History in the 20 Century (1997). Finally, for Iggers it was not sufficient merely to endorse humane values out of academic or religious conviction, one had to be actively engaged in righting civic wrongs. Hence Iggers fought all his life against racial discrimination in the US. As well, he vigorously advocated the right to conscientious objection for opponents of the Vietnam War. And in a sense most meaningful to Iggers his efforts at promoting German reconciliation with Jews were recognized by the offer of German citizenship to him by the Federal Republic of Germany. JOHN A. MOSES Professorial Associate, St Mark’s National Theological Centre Australian Journal of Politics and History © 2018 The University of Queensland and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. DOI:10.1111/ajph.12456. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian Journal of Politics and History Wiley

In Memoriam: Georg G. Iggers (1926–2017)

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2018 The University of Queensland and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
ISSN
0004-9522
eISSN
1467-8497
DOI
10.1111/ajph.12456
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Australian Journal of Politics and History: Volume 64, Number 1, 2018, p.175. In Memoriam: Georg G. Iggers (1926-2017) Professor Georg Iggers died suddenly in Buffalo on 26 November after a long and productive scholarly life that was characterized by his magnanimity of spirit, his humanity and his never-ending fight for human rights against all forms of racism and political oppression. He must also be numbered among the most influential historical thinkers of our time. His life’s work may be summed up as a heroic attempt to promote international understanding and peace by reconciling the nations through understanding of each other’s history. Born in Hamburg into a Jewish family, survival was made possible by emigration to the USA in 1938. On the other side of the Atlantic he continued his schooling in Richmond, Virginia which saw the beginning of his acculturation into North American civilization while at the same time maintaining the continuity of his commitment to the Synagogue. Understanding the other and the liberating of the oppressed were the distinguishing features of Iggers’ world view. With this basic commitment, then, how did Iggers become the towering international authority he was? Certainly he was well known in Australia having been twice a key- note speaker at conferences here, a guest professor at the University of New England Armidale (February-March 1999) and a friend of this journal, but Iggers was equally acclaimed throughout Europe as well as East Asia. In his autobiography written with his scholarly wife, Wilma, Zwei Seiten der Geschichte (2002), Iggers recounts his scholarly beginnings at Richmond, followed by stints in Chicago and New York where he encountered and engaged with some of the giants of American humanistic scholarship. This resulted in his change of direction from linguistics to history and his pioneering doctoral thesis on Saint Simon which became The Cult of Authority. The Political Philosophy of Saint Simon (1958). His next major study was The German Conception of History (1968) which was quickly translated into German, thus establishing his rapidly growing international reputation. In this work Iggers traced the fateful nationalistic tradition in German historiography from Hegel to the present, thereby illustrating the political-pedagogic importance of all national historiography. Iggers’ interest in transcending the limits of older nationalist historiography led to efforts to find and befriend interlocutors in other countries, especially those in totalitarian th ones. The outcome of these efforts included works such as History in the 20 Century (1997). Finally, for Iggers it was not sufficient merely to endorse humane values out of academic or religious conviction, one had to be actively engaged in righting civic wrongs. Hence Iggers fought all his life against racial discrimination in the US. As well, he vigorously advocated the right to conscientious objection for opponents of the Vietnam War. And in a sense most meaningful to Iggers his efforts at promoting German reconciliation with Jews were recognized by the offer of German citizenship to him by the Federal Republic of Germany. JOHN A. MOSES Professorial Associate, St Mark’s National Theological Centre Australian Journal of Politics and History © 2018 The University of Queensland and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. DOI:10.1111/ajph.12456.

Journal

Australian Journal of Politics and HistoryWiley

Published: Jan 1, 2018

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