We mourn the death of of Prof. Dr. Uwe Andersen, who passed away on 23rd August 2026 at the age of 86 in Husum, his beloved hometown on the German North Sea coast.
After leaving school, Andersen completed an apprenticeship as a bank clerk, attended evening school and subsequently studied political science and economics at the Freie Universität Berlin. Following his graduation in political science in 1967, he undertook research at Yale University in New Haven during the 1967/68 academic year. From 1970 until he obtained his doctorate in 1974, he was a doctoral student at the Universität Münster, and then moved to the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München as a postdoctoral researcher. In 1979, he accepted the call of the Faculty of Social Science of RUB on the Chair of Political Science, a position he held until his retirement in 2005.
From 1997 onwards, when he joined IEE, Professor Andersen served as member and chair of IEE’s Executive Board. Always keen to explore new ideas, he was one of the key supporters of the MA DM, which was under development in the late 1990s, and of the PhD IDS, which followed in 2007. He served as a principal investigator in the DFG-funded RTG 136 (1995-2005), was active in the DAAD-supported cooperation with the University of the Western Cape, South Africa (2002-2023) and he received research funding from the DFG and from the Volkswagen Foundation.
Uwe Andersen always preferred to base his academic work on political, social or economic problems of development on first-hand field visits. Thanks to his unique sense of humour and his approachable nature, it was a pleasure for colleagues and students alike to travel with him, whether to places in Sub-Saharan Africa or in Central Asia. The doctoral theses of a good dozen young researchers, for whom Prof. Andersen was both an encouraging and a reliable mentor, benefited from his profound insights into the workings of political systems, democratisation processes and policymaking at national and sub-national levels.
He was a prolific researcher, a highly respected academic and extremely adept at navigating complex higher education systems. Beyond his contributions to the advancement of research and teaching at the IEE, we will always remember Uwe Andersen for his willingness to break new ground and for his supportive, encouraging and open manner, combined with a droll wit.
We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to Uwe Andersen’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.
On behalf of IEE’s board, staff and students
Wilhelm Löwenstein