Dr. Jürgen Herzog estate

Bequest: In 1994, the library received 546 volumes from the bequest of Dr. Jürgen Herzog (deceased 1993), who worked as an Africa historian at the Institute for General History of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR (AdW). He worked at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient from 1992–1993. The call numbers of the Herzog estate begin with the letter H (e.g. H 280).

I met Jürgen Herzog (20.03.1937 - 29.07.1993) 20 years ago during one of my first visits to the "Forschungsschwerpunkt Moderner Orient" (FSP) at Prenzlauer Promenade 149 in Berlin: A small, delicate man, already badly marked by his illness. As I walked down the long, dark hallway toward the secretary's office, Ingrid Malsch, chief secretary and good soul of the facility, greeted me loudly across the hallway with the words, "Here comes our new boss." Jürgen Herzog, who happened to be standing next to her, commented with the words, "Oh shock, let up." Then, in a gesture typical of him, he put his hand over his mouth and immediately said, "I didn't mean anything by that." As Peter Sebald said in his eulogy for Jürgen Herzog, that was characteristic of him: a sarcastic or mocking remark and then a quick apology. Herzog was a modest man who "tended to hide his light under a bushel" in work reports. As a result, the originality of his reflections, especially in the upheaval of the early 1990s, was easily lost.

As one of the first academic staff members of the FSP, I experienced Jürgen Herzog in the internal colloquium of the research focus with remarks on ecology in sub-Saharan Africa. Achim von Oppen then published them after Herzog's death under the title "Kolonialismus und Ökologie im Kontext der Geschichte Tansanias. Plädoyer für eine historische Umweltforschung" as number 3 of the Working Papers of the Forschungsschwerpunkt. I remember Herzog as a scholar who virtually bubbled with enthusiasm during his remarks, and I asked the round of collaborators whether his topic could not be one of the FSP's working foci. Apparently, however, the time was not yet ripe for it, and his death barely 6 months later, which came as a surprise after all, did the rest, so that at first no continuation of his work was realized.

Jürgen Herzog had a biography that was not atypical for academics in the GDR. After vocational training as an electromechanic and two years working as a signal fitter for the Reichsbahn, he graduated from the Workers' and Peasants' Faculty and began studying ethnology and economics at Humboldt University in 1962. From 1967 to 1971 he held an aspirancy at the renowned Institute for Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR, which he completed with a doctorate on "“Nationale Befreiungsrevolution und traditionelle Führungskräfte. Ein Beitrag zum Problem der Überwindung vorkapitalistischer gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse und Institutionen im heutigen Afrika, dargestellt am Beispiel der Entwicklung Tansanias." Whether he was initially intended to work in the journalistic field could not be ascertained. Nevertheless, a manuscript exists for a lecture with the title: „Tradition und Fortschritt im afrikanischen Dorf" from 08.04.1974 for Radio DDR II. After his doctorate he was supposed to travel to Tanzania after some time for field research. The time could not be found out yet. During the medical and tropical fitness examinations required for the stay abroad, his incipient illness apparently already became apparent. To his great disappointment, his stay abroad came to nothing. Herzog subsequently worked at the Academy of Sciences of the GDR in the Institute for General History. After the fall of the Wall, he was taken over by the "Forschungsschwerpunkt moderner Orient in der Förderungsgesellschaft wissenschaftliche Neuvorhaben", where he worked until his death.

The geographical focus of Jürgen Herzog's publications was sub-Saharan Africa and, in a narrower sense, Kenya and especially Tanzania. He dealt with Tanzania already in his first publications from the early 1970s in essays and in his book: "Traditionelle Institutionen und nationale Befreiungsrevolution in Tansania: zum Problem der revolutionären Überwindung vorkapitalistischer gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse im heutigen Afrika" (Traditional Institutions and National Liberation Revolution in Tanzania: On the Problem of Revolutionary Overcoming of Pre-Capitalist Social Conditions in Contemporary Africa), which was published by Akademie-Verlag in 1975. His essay: "Traditionelle Führungskräfte und nichtkapitalistischer Entwicklungsweg in Tansania" (Traditional Leaders and Non-Capitalist Development Path in Tanzania) in the prestigious Mitteilungen des Instituts für Orientforschung from 1970 must have been a preparatory research work for his dissertation. The same is probably true for: "Nationale Befreiungsrevolution und traditionelle Führungskräfte. Ein Beitrag zum Problem der Überwindung vorkapitalistischer gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse und Institutionen im heutigen Afrika am Beispiel Tansanias" (National Liberation Revolution and Traditional Leaders. A Contribution to the Problem of Overcoming Pre-Capitalist Social Relations and Institutions in Contemporary Africa as Exemplified by Tanzania) in Contemporary Review, also 1970. It would not be uninteresting to compare these works with those published at about the same time in the Federal Republic by leftist authors such as Christian Siegrist's "Regulierte Anarchie. Untersuchungen zum Fehlen und zur Entstehung politischer Herrschaft in segmentären Gesellschaften Afrikas (Regulated Anarchy. Untersuchungen zum Fehlen und zur Entstehung politischer Herrschaft in segmentären Gesellschaften Afrikas) (Freiburg 1968). Basically, Herzog continued to pursue the theme of traditional rule and modernization, often using Tanzania or Kenya as examples, with the "eye of the ethnographer" always involved, as in: "J. Nyereres Traditionsverständnis, seine Entwicklung und seine Grenzen unter den gegenwärtigen Bedingungen" (J. Nyerere's Understanding of Tradition, Its Development and Limits under Present Conditions), in: AALa* 3 (1975) or "Antikolonialismus und Traditionalismus in ihrer Bedeutung für Genesis und Entwicklung des Nationalismus in Kenia" (Anti-colonialism and Traditionalism in Their Significance for the Genesis and Development of Nationalism in Kenya), also in: AALa 11 (1983). In general, ethnology played strongly into his themes: "„Traditionen und Traditionalismus in nichtproletarischen Sozialismustheorien. Das Beispiel Tansania" (Traditions and Traditionalism in Non-Proletarian Theories of Socialism. The Example of Tanzania), in: Geistige Profile Asiens und Afrikas (Intellectual Profiles of Asia and Africa) (1982) or in the interesting book: "Jomo Kenyatta's Early Ethnographic Works and Their Political Significance," also from 1982. In addition, he dealt above all with the ethnological theories especially of British social anthropology. Thus in the essays: "The relation between bourgois social anthropology and history: The British School after World War Two", in: Sources and Historiography in African National-liberation Movements, from 1978 or the book: "Der Einfluss der ‘politischen Soziologie’ auf die bürgerliche Ethnographie: die Konflikttheorie in der englisch-sprachigen Afrika-Anthropologie" (The influence of 'political sociology' on bourgois ethnography: conflict theory in English-language African anthropology), from 1980. In his estate in the ZMO you can find the corresponding excerpts as well as those on works by Max Weber. This did not prevent him from also working on special historical works. Here his "Geschichte Tansanias: vom Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts bis zur Gegenwart“ (History of Tanzania: from the beginning of the 19th century to the present), Berlin 1986 (Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften), should be mentioned above all. 

Jürgen Herzog obviously had a clear historical interest. He was primarily concerned with the history of the anti-colonial struggle and the phase of transition from this to the takeover of political and institutional power by the liberation movements, again using Tanzania as an example. As evidence of these interests, it is worth referring to his articles "Transfer of Power oder Unabhängigkeitskampf? Die Entwicklung der Befreiungsbewegung unter den Bedingungen des Siedlerkolonialismus in Kenia (1945 – 1963)" (Transfer of Power or Struggle for Independence? The Development of the Liberation Movement under the Conditions of Settler Colonialism in Kenya (1945 – 1963) in the anthology: Wege zur Unabhängigkeit. Die Antikoloniale Revolution in Afrika und Asien und die Zukunft der Entwicklungslände (Paths to Independence. The Anti-Colonial Revolution in Africa and Asia and the Future of the Developing World), ed. by Martin Robbe, Berlin 1989 and in the same volume: "Koloniales Erbe und Neubeginn - Voraussetzungen und Hemmnisse sozialistisch orientierter Entwicklung in Tansania" (Colonial Legacy and New Beginnings – Preconditions and Obstacles to Socialist-Oriented Development in Tanzania). In this context, too, he had dealt with questions of principle: "Historischer Prozess und Unterentwicklung in Asien und Afrika: Forderungen an den Historiker und wie er sich ihnen stellen kann" (Historical Process and Underdevelopment in Asia and Africa: Demands on the Historian and How He Can Face Them), in AALa 18 (1990).

However, Jürgen Herzog had the greatest scientific farsightedness in connection with the ecological question as a historical question. In addition to the text from the Working Papers already mentioned above, he had already posed the question in 1988 in AALa 16 in a first article on this topic: "Ökologie als Thema der Geschichte? Kritisches und Nachdenkliches zur Afrika-Historiographie (dargestellt am Beispiel Ostafrikas)" (Ecology as a Topic of History? Critical and Thoughtful Considerations on African Historiography (illustrated by the example of East Africa)). An early version of this text in his estate is dated 17.08.1987. Here he reflects on what he then presented in 1993 in an expanded and rethought form. It can be understood as a kind of legacy that should be continued in his spirit. A first step in this direction is the roundtable discussion to be held at ZMO 19.09.2013, in which current ZMO staff will discuss this excerpt from Jürgen Herzog's work with a view to their own research.

Berlin, July 23, 2013

Kolonialismus und Ökologie im Kontext der Geschichte Tansanias: Plädoyer für eine historische Umweltforschung, Arbeitshefte des Forschungsschwerpunkts moderner Orient, Nr. 3, herausgegeben und mit einem Nachwort versehen von Achim von Oppen, Berlin: Das Arabische Buch, 1994, 52 S.

Historischer Prozeß und Unterentwicklung in Asien und Afrika: Forderungen an den Historiker und wie er sich ihnen stellen kann, in: Asien, Afrika, Lateinamerika 18:4 (1990), 586–598.

Siedlerkolonialismus und Arbeiterklasse – das Beispiel Kenia, in: Martin Robbe (Hg.), Wege zur Unabhängigkeit. Die antikoloniale Revolution in Asien und Afrika und die Zukunft der Entwicklungsländer, Berlin: Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, 1989, 61-68.

„Transfer of Power“ oder Unabhängigkeitskampf? Die Entwicklung der Befreiungsbewegung unter den Bedingungen des Siedlerkolonialismus in Kenia (1945-1963), in: Martin Robbe (Hg.), Wege zur Unabhängigkeit. Die antikoloniale Revolution in Asien und Afrika und die Zukunft der Entwicklungsländer, Berlin: Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, 1989, 160-172.

„Koloniales Erbe“ und Neubeginn – Voraussetzungen und Hemmnisse sozialistisch orientierter Entwicklung in Tansania, in: Martin Robbe (Hg.), Wege zur Unabhängigkeit. Die antikoloniale Revolution in Asien und Afrika und die Zukunft der Entwicklungsländer, Berlin: Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, 1989, 235-246.

mit Annemarie Hafner (Hrsg.): Sklave, Kuli, Lohnarbeiter. Formierung und Kampf der Arbeiterklasse in Kolonien und national befreiten Ländern. Ein historischer Abriß, Berlin: Dietz, 1988.

Ökologie als Thema der Geschichte? Kritisches und Nachdenkliches zur Afrika-Historiographie (dargestellt am Beispiel Ostafrikas), in: Asien, Afrika, Lateinamerika 16:2 (1988), 287-296.

Geschichte Tansanias: vom Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts bis zur Gegenwart, mit 30 Abbildungen, 3 Karten und 23 Tabellen, Berlin: Dt. Verl. der Wiss., 1986.

Antikolonialismus und Traditionalismus in ihrer Bedeutung für Genesis und Entwicklung des Nationalismus in Kenia, in: Asien, Afrika, Lateinamerika 11:2 (1983), 288-302. 
Zu den objektiven Faktoren der Genesis des Nationalismus in Tropisch-Afrika, in: Asien, Afrika, Lateinamerika 10:6 (1982), 1064-1074.

Traditionen und „Traditionalismus“ in nichtproletarischen Sozialismustheorien: das Beispiel Tansania, in Georgiĩ F. Kim et al (Hg.), Geistige Profile Asiens und Afrikas: aktuelle Fragen der ideologischen Auseinandersetzung in der nationalen Befreiungsbewegung, Berlin: Akademie, 1982, 380401.

Jomo Kenyattas frühe ethnographische Arbeiten und ihre politische Bedeutung, Berlin: [s.n.], 1982.         

Der Einfluß der „politischen Soziologie“ auf die bürgerliche Ethnographie: die Konflikttheorie in der englischsprachigen Afrika-Anthropologie, Berlin: [s.n.], 1980.

The Relation between bourgeois social anthropology and history: the “British School” after World War Two, in: Sources and Historiography on African National-Liberation Movements (proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the Socialist Countries' Africa Historians, September 5-8, 1977, Budapest), Institute for World Economics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1978, 17-26.

J. K. Nyereres Traditionsverständnis - seine Entwicklung und seine Grenzen unter den gegenwärtigen Bedingungen, in: Asien, Afrika, Lateinamerika 3:5 (1975), 822-824. 
Antikoloniale Protestbewegung auf ethnischer Basis und Probleme der Herausbildung einer geeinten nationalen Befreiungsfront in Tanganyika: vor den zwanziger Jahren bis 1961, Berlin: [s.n.], 1975.      

Traditionelle Institutionen und nationale Befreiungsrevolution in Tansania: zum Problem der revolutionären Überwindung vorkapitalistischer gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse im heutigen Afrika, Berlin: Akad.-Verl., 1975.      

Nationale Befreiungsrevolution und traditionelle Führungskräfte: ein Beitrag zum Problem der Überwindung vorkapitalistischer gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse und Institutionen im heutigen Afrika – dargestellt am Beispiel der Entwicklung Tansanias, in: Contemporary Review, 1970.

Traditionelle Führungskräfte und nichtkapitalistischer Entwicklungsweg in Tansania, in: Mitteilungen des Instituts für Orientforschung 16:2 (1970), 252-270.