Skip to main content
Research reflections

In memoriam Hans Reich

By March 14, 2019May 25th, 2019One Comment4 min read3,066 views

Prof. Hans H. Reich (1939-2019)

The educator Professor Hans H. Reich, who pioneered education-and-migration-related research in Germany, passed away on the 19th of February 2019. The obituary below was first published in German, and translated into English by Hanna Torsh.

***

With Hans Reich’s passing we have lost an outstanding researcher, an irreplaceable mentor, the guiding light of migration and education research in Germany. We have also lost a friend.

Hans Reich was appointed as Professor of German language and literature in teacher education at the Pädagogische Hochschule Rheinland, Abteilung Neuss, in 1971. His research focus was on the pursuit of an equitable education system in the context of migration in Germany. Among his many achievements was the fact that he pioneered research into the teaching of migrant children. Together with Manfred Hohmann and Ursula Boos-Nünning he founded a research group which investigated, for the first time in Germany, the effect of teacher qualifications on the educational success of migrant children. At the same time, the group evaluated and developed intervention projects and significantly influenced education policy and practice. The research group remained in close contact after Hans Reich became Professor of German as a Second Language at the University of Koblenz-Landau in 1979.

Even after his retirement in 2005, Professor Hans Reich continued to be an active and inspirational contributor to research and education policy in an increasingly diverse society.

A key contribution was the initiation of the first international comparative study examining how European education systems were reacting to increasing numbers of migrant children in their midst. It is not only the conviction that we need to learn from each other that characterized his work but also the belief in the value of trust and cooperation among researchers. This conviction resulted in a large number of research groups which came about through his involvement. One example is the research program “Effects of labor migration on education and training” (“Folgen der Arbeitsmigration für Bildung und Erziehung”), which was supported by the German Research Council (DFG) with Hans Reich as the chief investigator (1991 to 1997). This program introduced a change in perspective in the research into migration, education and training which continues to shape research into this field today. It overcame the previous narrow focus on migrants in favor of a focus on the whole of society in which all members – albeit in different ways – are affected by the changing linguistic, cultural and social diversity in their social world.

Hans Reich also made an important contribution to the field of German as a foreign language. His starting point was not an interest in the dissemination of an abstract language but instead the process of acquisition, learning and use of languages. Central to this were the learning challenges faced by learners, the conditions under which their linguistic development takes place, and the pedagogical approaches this calls for. In this way he turned the focus on multilingualism, both as a basis for and as a goal of the learning process in second language education.

Another outstanding example of his contribution to the field is the model program “Supporting children and young people with a migrant background” (“Förderung von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund – FörMig”) (2004 to 2009). Hans Reich was a member of the scientific committee of the program and we found him a meticulous researcher, inspiring collaborator, and wonderful mentor.

One result of our collective work were concepts such as that of integrated language learning (“durchgängige Sprachbildung”), which has significantly impacted educational practice and policy in Germany.

Hans Reich was an active listener as well as an active researcher and motivator; a conversation partner, who took on board diverse points of view, who carefully but critically asked questions, and who lent an ear even to those who might have been shy or slow to make their contributions.

Hans Reich knew that research is rooted in social responsibility. As a participant in discussions over education policy he always kept this in mind, whether in his role as a member of the advisory committee for migration (“Rat für Migration“), as a political advisor and in numerous initiatives in educational practice – from pre-schools to primary and secondary schools to higher education and training institutions – or as an advocate for teachers in difficult situations, above all teachers of heritage languages.

With the passing of Hans Reich we not only lose an outstanding researcher and educator, but also a connoisseur of good food and wine and an excellent conversationalist. He captivated his listeners, even if – or perhaps because – he could never bring himself to add PowerPoint presentations to his lectures.

He will be very much missed.

Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Landau, and Cologne, February 2019

Ingrid Gogolin, Ursula Neumann, Marianne Krüger-Potratz, Hans-Jürgen Krumm, Katharina Kuhs, Hans-Joachim Roth

Contact: [email protected]

A list of Hans Reich’s publication is available here.

Language on the Move

Author Language on the Move

More posts by Language on the Move

Join the discussion One Comment

  • Mehdi Faizy says:

    Could you refer to some books/ articles if possible as introduction to his field of research, i.e. education-and-migration. I see the link to his publications, which are mostly in German – except for two books that are in English.
    Much appreciated

Leave a Reply