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The Right Honourable Ralf Dahrendorf, who passed away last week at the age of 80 years, was a bright shooting star for the foreign cultural and educational policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. It swiftly illuminated the landscape of German desires and possibilities; desire for change was given a voice. By Michael Jeismann

Germany's cultural mediators not only have every reason to remember him with gratitude; a look back at Dahrendorf's work for foreign cultural and educational policy reveals a legacy that is in fact intellectually invigorating and politically encouraging. During his brief period of service as the Parliamentary Secretary of State in the Brandt/Scheel government he was able to repeat his previous accomplishment that eventually would symbolize his entire oeuvre: Dahrendorf seized the opportunity to add a congenial bit of cultural policy to Willy Brandt's policy of reform.

The Fifteen Theses

Together with sociologist Hansgert Peisert, he set out the foundations of modern foreign cultural and educational policy in their famous Fifteen Theses on International Cultural, Academic and Social Policy of 1970. They signified a turn away from the principle of the "cultural mission," which had held sway in many diluted forms in the layout and organization of foreign cultural and education policy. In its place, Dahrendorf drafted the model of a cultural and educational policy aimed at reciprocity and commonality. The "Third Pillar of Foreign Policy" was given a resilient foundation.

Dahrendorf was aware that foreign cultural and educational policy could no longer remain an esoteric topic for esoteric thinkers, but needed to be a medium in which long lasting and productive relations between states and cultures could thrive: "Openness for differences is therefore the principle of our foreign cultural and educational policy." The task could not merely consist of offering information about German culture, but rather must to the same extent encompass exchange (including multilateral exchange) and cooperation. Therefore, according to Dahrendorf, a broad understanding of culture needed to serve as the basis, which would aid in mutually handling present-day problems. This also pertained to language work: "The German language is the means, not the ends of our work," Dahrendorf stated, thus dismissing all cultural imperialistic aspirations.

Culture as the medium of one world

What reads so naturally today was, at that time, something that for many certainly was not self-evident. Should Germany be able to learn something from Africa? Must the Germans really put themselves on the level of peoples and states, to which – in spite of the murders and blindness of two World Wars – they felt themselves infinitely superior not only from a technical perspective but also in terms of civilization?

Yes, they should do so. Dahrendorf did not divide the world into a first, second and third world, but instead constituted the cohesion of an undivided world precisely through a foreign cultural and educational policy that should address shared present-day problems. This new way of thinking led to a terrain upon which everything could be gained and, even today, much has already been gained. For Dahrendorf, the objectives of foreign cultural and educational policy were peacekeeping and building a fundamental understanding that could weather even everyday political storms: "Our foreign cultural and educational policy is designed for the long term," he specified.

Ultimately, Dahrendorf granted the autonomy of mediating organizations priority over the will of the state to control them, because this strengthened the credibility of foreign cultural policy. The Foreign Office was to exercise reserve in this field. For, Dahrendorf said, "we can expect great names and great deeds more from the so-called mediating organizations." Fulfilling this expectation would not be the worst way to live up to Lord Dahrendorf's legacy.