Nasir Khan, 22 March, 2017
Dag Østerberg
Since
1960 Dag Østerberg had the distinction of being a leading social
theoretician and a resourceful intellectual in Norway, who made lasting
contributions especially in sociology and social philosophy. His death
on 22 February 2017 removed a uniquely talented scholar from the social
and academic life of Norway, but his books that represent his critical
thinking and social concerns will continue to play a role and inspire
students, researchers and others.
He
earned his Ph.D. degree in sociology from the University of Oslo (UiO)
in 1974 for his work on Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. From 1981 to 1991,
he was a professor of sociology at UiO. For a few years he worked as an
adjunct professor in music. But his passion was writing and he left
such highly-coveted academic positions to concentrate on writing. The
area of his authorship was extensive, covering political and social
philosophy, sociology, history of ideas as well as musicology, art and
classic literature. He wrote some 20 books and published numerous papers
and articles on a wide range of issues in scholarly journals and
periodicals.
Within
the academic milieus in UiO logical positivism had gained much ground
in the 1960s. Some prominent Norwegian philosophers held differing views
about its role in the social sciences. Østerberg was of the view that
social sciences cannot be objective in the sense the natural sciences
are objective, but rather they had to be reflective and interpretive. At
present, more people have come to accept this view of positivism in the
age of postpositivism and postmodernism.
For
most of his life, Østerberg was deeply attracted to the works of the
influential French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. He had a profound
understanding of Sartre’s philosophy of existentialism. He translated
and published three books dealing with Sartre’s works, and also wrote an
authoritative biography Jean-Paul Sartre – Philosophy, Art, Politics,
Private Life, which was published in 1993.
Since
he started writing, he showed he had the ability to go to the core of
the complex philosophical and sociological issues by analysing and
synthesising them. As an intellectual he was a social critic in the
radical leftist tradition. Having imbibed much of the critical
sociological thought of Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Georg Simmel,
Østerberg approached Marx well-oriented with the European philosophical
and cultural tradition.
We
may ask when did Østerberg turn seriously to the works of Karl Marx?
This question is lucidly summed up by Professor Per Otnes, a Marxist
sociologist and a fellow-colleague of Østerberg when the latter taught
in the department of sociology:
“There
is, however, a telling appendix to a re-edition [Essays i samfunnsteori
theory, Oslo: Pax,1975, p. 28] of this text, where Østerberg states
that his command of Marxism as of 1967 was less than adequate. That
signals a revised approach. Up to c. 1970 he remained, not unlike
Bourdieu, something of a dialectic phenomenologist, influenced by
Husserl, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty and others, but not yet influenced very
much by Marx’s works. Sartre’s great Critique de la raison dialectique,
only just out in 1960, was instrumental in bringing about the inclusion
of (neo-)Marxism, to which his A Preface to Marx’s Capital (1972)
testifies, summing up critically in no more than c. 60 [79] pp. Marx’s
c. 2,500.” 1
Beside
Sartre, Østerberg’s discussion of sociological theories included the
works of Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, Pierre Bourdeau, and Karl
Marx. He summarised the salient theories of such writers and offered his
synthesis in his usual incisive manner.
He
interpreted and defended the social and political thought of Marx. But
he was not a dogmatic defender of Marx, as some Marx enthusiasts or
disciples have been for more than a century. Primarily, he saw Marx as a
social philosopher and an economist whose theories explored the
contradictions of capitalism and showed the way to a better alternative
that met the needs of the people on a wider scale. Even towards the end
of his life, he continued to emphasise the importance of understanding
the economic thought of Marx. This can be seen in his last book he wrote
Fra Marx’ til nyere kapitalkritikk [From Marx’s to recent critique of
capital] (2016).
As
a writer, Østerberg’s language is clear, precise and has a natural
flow. Ludwig Wittgenstein had said: What can be said at all can be said
clearly. In Østerberg’s case that remark applies admirably well. Unlike
some academic writers and authors who occasionally embellish their texts
with some Latin terms or foreign words, he was a puritan in the use of
his native language, Norwegian; he avoided the use of foreign words as
far as he could. However, he had great mastery over English, German and
French, but he was averse to the idea of bringing in any foreign words
in his texts. He wrote mostly in Norwegian, except for one major work
Metasociology: An Inquiry into the Origins and Validity of Social
thought (1988). This remarkable volume shows his immense erudition and
mastery of modern western social and political thought, whose reading
will help English readers become acquainted with this great
intellectual. Obviously, his use of his native language for most of his
authorship has certainly enriched Norwegian. However, this has also
limited the circulation of his books internationally because Norwegian
is understood only in Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
During
his lifetime Østerberg had received a wide recognition in the Nordic
sociology. He was regarded as a leading sociologist who contributed to
the western sociological tradition. His books on sociology are popular
among students and are included in the syllabuses. But he was not the
type of person looking for reputation or acclaim. He was anti-hero,
unassuming and followed a simple lifestyle.
Last
but not least, I will mention him in a personal context. When I started
research for my Ph.D. degree at UiO in 1985, he was my academic
supervisor. He was the leading scholar of Marx and Marxist thought
teaching as a professor of sociology at that time and I was lucky to
have him supervise my work. In 1991, he graciously wrote a preface to my
thesis Development of the Concept and Theory of Alienation in Marx’s
Writings that was published in 1995. Our contact led to a lasting
friendship that lasted over 30 years. The last time we met in Oslo was
2016. On that occasion he offered me a copy of his newly-published book
Fra Marx’ til nyere kapitalkritikk.
References:
1. Otnes, Per, Dag Østerberg: The Dialectic of Post-Positvism, Acta Sociologica March 2006 ◆ Vol 49(1): p. 22.
