Herbert Marcuse
Herbert Marcuse
Scholars and activists

Peter-Erwin Jansen Bio

Jansen, Peter-Erwin JansenPeter-Erwin (b. 1957), studied philosophy, sociology, German studies and political science at the University of Frankfurt (with Habermas). Editor of Herbert Marcuse and Leo Löwenthal's unpublished papers.
Since September 2009 Jansen has been teaching courses on Ethics, Introduction to the Social Sciences, Theories of Social Justice, and Critical Theory at the Fachhochschule (university of applied sciences) in Koblenz, Germany. (Jansen's FH Koblenz page [link updated 10/5/14])

  • Wikipedia's Jansen page includes detailed information about his publications.
  • See also Jansen's 2003-04 homepage (courtesy of the Internet Archive)
  • Jansen authored the wikipedia.de Herbert Marcuse page
  • Jansen's suggestions were worked into the Marcuse biography on LEMO, the website of the German Historical Museum (Berlin), making it the best concise biography available to date.
  • Editor (with the editorial board of Perspektiven) of Zwischen Hoffnung und Notwendigkeit: Texte zu Herbert Marcuse (Frankfurt: Neue Kritik, 1999), 181 S.
  • Peter-Erwin Jansen at Herbert's grave
    at Herbert's grave, May 2007
  • Editor, with the editorial board of "links" magazine, of Befreiung Denken - Ein politischer Imperativ: Materialien zu Herbert Marcuse [full title: Befreiung denken, ein politischer Imperativ: ein Materialienband zu einer politischen Arbeitstagung über Herbert Marcuse am 13. und 14. Oktober 1989 in Frankfurt; Veranstalter, "links"-Redaktion, "Tüte"-Redaktion, ASTA/Linke Liste, Uni Frankfurt, "links"-Redaktion und dem Sozialistischen Büro. (Offenbach: Verlag 2000, [1989] 2nd corrected edition 1990), 210 pages.
    This book includes correspondence between Heidegger and Marcuse (full text on this site) and an article by Jansen about Marcuse's failed Habilitation with Martin Heidegger.
  • Editor of the 6 volume German edition of Herbert Marcuse's unpublished papers, Nachgelassene Schriften. More information on this site at pubs/jansen/nachgelassen.htm
  • Publisher zu Klampen's Jansen bio page
    A search of the zu Klampen website with the keyword Marcuse will bring up a page with detailed descriptions of each volume.
  • Article "Student Movements in Germany, 1968-1984" in Negations 3(1998); contributors blurb, issue introduction
  • Editor of "Das Utopische soll Funken schlagen: Zum 100. Geburtstag von Leo Löwenthal" (page now only at Internet Archive).
  • October 29, 2009 Keynote Address : "Establishing Lives in Exile: Herbert Marcuse and Leo Löwenthal in America,"at the third biennial conference of the International Herbert Marcuse Society, "Marcuse and the Frankfurt School for a New Generation" (York Unversity, Toronto, Canada).
  • Artwork by Antje WichtreyIn 2013 Peter-Erwin co-published a new art book with images based on quotations from Herbert's works:
    • Herbert Marcuse. Versprechen, dass es anders sein kann. Promise that it can be different; paintings: Antje Wichtrey, afterword by Peter-Erwin Jansen. Bilingual reprint of the one-of-a-kind art book by Antje Wichtrey about Hebert Marcuse. Edition Boot, Granada· Frankfurt, 2013, € 25 / $ 30.
    • The book can be purchased by contacting Peter-Erwin Jansen via email: petererwinjansen(a)aol.com.
    • You can see four of the 15 double page spreads at Anthe Wichtrey's website.
    • The quotation text in the background of the sample image above reads (in translation):
      "Rationality is indeed an essential aspect of art: making present (re-present) of that which is depressed, hidden, distorted - not as end in itself but as elements in the creation of the aesthetic universe: the universe of form. For it still holds true: form is the triumph over the destructive disorder and order, the banning of fear."
  • April 15, 2018: Lecture in Köln in the Deutschlandfunk's "Echoes of '68" series : "Die absurde Rationalität des Fortschritts: Herbert Marcuses weitsichtige Technologiekritik."

Other Resources

Index entries: Jansen, Peter-Erwin