Abstract
On Sunday, 16 August 2020, Prof. em. Dr. Siegfried Jäger passed away at the age of 83.
With his departure we lose a disputant and campaigner who has devoted his life and work to the critical scrutiny of political and societal processes, in particular those of exclusion through racism, right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism but also discourses concerning the steel crisis in the 1980s, bio-ethics and gender studies.
Three decades as Linguist at University of Duisburg
From 1973 to 2002 Siegfried Jäger was Professor of Linguistics in the German Studies department at the Gerhard-Mercator University of Duisburg/University of Duisburg-Essen.
Via his publications, seminars and lectures at the University of Duisburg, Siegfried Jäger became known as an outstanding scientist in linguistics and the social sciences and one of the most important discussion partners for left-wing, alternative minded students.
His numerous under-graduate and post-graduate students not only remember him as an eloquent and competent scientist but also as a teacher who in his subject succeeded in guiding an entire generation of young scientists through their education.
Co-founder and head of Duisburg Institute for Linguistics and Social Sciences
From 1987, Siegfried Jäger was head of Duisburger Institut für Sprach- und Sozialforschung (DISS) Duisburg Institute for Linguistics and Social Sciences which he co-founded. DISS researches into and conducts the critical analysis of the discourses ensuing in the contexts of racism, right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism and also provides important publications on the societal conditions under which language and language competence develop.
Siegfried Jäger developed the Duisburger Ansatz der Kritischen Diskursanalyse (KDA) Duisburg Approach to Critical Discourse Analysis, a qualitative method of media and interview analysis based on the theory of power developed by the philosopher Michel Foucault. This Duisburg approach is constantly being developed further by students and scientists and its application has become interdisciplinary and international.
Due to the untiring commitment of Siegfried Jäger and his wife Margarete Jäger, the Duisburg Institute for Linguistics and Social Sciences became an orientation for students and scientists providing them with extensive opportunities to work, focus their scientific profiles and add to their qualifications.
Siegfried Jäger led numerous research projects and held international talks and seminars on far-right extremism, racism, media analysis, discourse theory and discourse analysis. He held more than 200 lectures, for instance, in Antwerp, Brussels, Vienna, Amsterdam, Jerusalem, Klagenfurt, Graz, Berlin, Bonn and Munich.
As an expert, Siegfried Jäger also spoke on TV and radio and was summoned to hearings of the regional and national parliaments concerning topics such as politically motivated violence, racism and far-right extremism. Furthermore, he was a member of the advisory board „Alliance for Democracy und Tolerance – Against Extremism and Violence“ of the German national parliament.
Beside numerous expertises and editorial activities, Siegfried Jäger published “Edition DISS” with Unrast publishing house, Münster. He also co-published the international journal Discourse and Society, Sage publishing house. He co-published the “Edition Jüdische Publizistik im 19. Jahrhundert“ Edition: Social and Political Journalism by German Jewish authors in the 19th Century and was co-editor of “DISS-Journal.” In 1991, Siegfried Jäger co-founded the International Association for the study of Racism (IASR) with Teun van Dijk (Amsterdam), Laura Balbo (Florence), Nora Räthzel (Hamburg).
Siegfried Jäger’s major work „Kritische Diskursanalyse. Eine Einführung“ (1993) Critical Discourse Analysis. An Introduction and „Lexikon Kritische Diskursanalyse. Eine Werkzeugkiste“ (2010) Dictionary of Critical Discourse Analysis. A Toolbox form the basis of the media and societal analyses conducted by DISS.
Through his lead, the works „BrandSätze. Rassismus im Alltag.“ (1992) BrandSätze. Everyday Racism, „SchlagZeilen. Rassismus in der Presse.“ (1992) SchlagZeilen. Racism in the Press and „Die vierte Gewalt. Rassismus und die Medien.“ (1993) The Fourth Force. Racism and the Media paved the way for today’s research into racism.
Siegfried Jäger’s wife Margarete Jäger, co-director of DISS, his many friends, colleagues and scientific companions will miss him.
Further information about Siegfried Jäger, his work and his many publications can be found at www.diss-duisburg.de.