It is with sadness that Erasmus School of Law has learned of the passing away of Prof. Anton Zijderveld on 6 July 2022. Zijderveld worked as a professor of Sociology at Erasmus School of Law from 1986 to 2002.
In 1983 Zijderveld – then still a professor in Tilburg – was recruited as an observer to provide guidance to the Department of Social Sciences within the law school. He was appointed as Professor and in 1986 he delivered his inaugural lecture on the 'Dynamics of power and authority'. From 1989 to 2002 he was also affiliated with Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences as a professor of Sociology, of which four years as Dean. He obtained a second doctorate in 2006, this time in the field of the philosophy in law.
If one has to sum up in one word the broad sociological interest of Zijderveld, then the concept of 'institutions' is the best choice. This was also apparent from the title of Zijderveld's liber amicorum: The value of institutions.
We remember Anton Zijderveld as an extremely loyal colleague who was very involved with his students and colleagues. Zijderveld was focused on dialogue, specifically between legal science and the social sciences, which revealed the internal tensions but also the fruitful collaboration between both fields of science. This valuable dialogue was therefore rightly referred to as 'integration subject' as a compulsory part of the propaedeutic phase.
Our condolences go out to Anton Zijderveld’s family. On behalf of the management team of Erasmus School of Law,
Prof. Harriët Schelhaas
Dean