Obituary for
Jonathan Dean

'Jonathan Dean was my academic ‘partner in crime’ for over a decade and he was also a dear friend. As an intellectual companion and co-author – we concocted two grant proposals and 7 articles together – Jonathan was the gift that kept on giving. His razor-sharp intellect, theoretical dexterity and keen grasp of British politics in general and popular culture, in particular, made him a joy to work with. He was, at the same time, humble and intellectually generous in an academic world that is so often marked by hubris and methodological rigidity. Always willing to make space for the ideas of others, he went out of his way to celebrate the work of those lucky enough to be his circle. In fact, I first met Jonathan in 2011 when he enthusiastically  waylaid me and Catherine Eschle at a conference lunch, extolling the virtues of a feminist book we had recently published. I was struck by his earnest and effusive show of support and we happily accepted his invitation to present on it at Leeds, an event that marked the start of our long working relationship.

But in addition to being a brilliant colleague and scholar, Jonathan was a profoundly warm and kind-hearted friend who felt deeply about many things from the politics of feminism and the Left to the uplifting beauty of music, Scottish whisky and bird life. And of course, he was also hilarious. His dry wit, self-deprecating humour and general mischievousness made him an absolute pleasure to be around and it certainly enlivened many a conference that we attended together – it was quite  simply impossible to listen to him present a paper without smiling. He was an original: I feel very grateful to have known and worked with the one and only Jonathan Dean.'

'When I received news of Jonathan's untimely death by email from a close friend of his, I found myself staring blankly at the announcement for a long time before very slowly and with great difficulty coming back to my senses, not able to imagine how his partner and young family must be feeling, nor his folks and extended family. 

A graduate of the IDA programme at Essex, Jonathan was very popular across many groups and conference circuits, producing also cutting-edge work at the intersection of politics, feminism, culture, and the media. I can only imagine how many have been affected by his death already, feeling this as much as a personal loss as a scholarly loss.

I knew Jonathan quite well for the simple reason that he spent an extended period at the University of Essex from 2002 onwards, as an undergraduate, as a graduate student, as a PhD supervisee, as a research assistant, and as a colleague. An incredibly kind and personable individual, but also intellectually fiercely independent from the start of his academic career, Jonathan was without doubt one of the brightest and most promising scholars our University had seen.  He had a phenomenal and enviable facility in expressing himself with ease and panache, yet always in the most modest and understated manner, and not without a good dose of dry humour. It did often feel like he was one of those people who were truly ‘in tune’ with the world. 

This was reflected partly in his academic record:  First class undergraduate degree in Politics and Sociology, attracting the Fuller Bequest Undergraduate Prize; ESRC 1+3 scholarship award; and Distinction in his MA in Ideology and Discourse Analysis (IDA).  After completing his MA dissertation on the politics of the British intersex movement, Jonathan embarked upon his PhD research, which explored the radical democratic potential of contemporary UK feminist organizations. After successfully defending his PhD thesis in November 2007 (examiners: Angela McRobbie and Aletta Norval) Jonathan took up the opportunity to teach at the University of Essex, while also writing and publishing articles in respected peer-reviewed journals. Jonathan was an ESRC post-doctoral scholar at the Gender Institute, London School of Economics, for the 2008-9 academic year, during which time he taught and lectured in gender theory and methods, and completed a book manuscript drawing on his PhD thesis in the area of contemporary feminist politics, published by Palgrave. Jonathan also worked as part-time teacher in the Department of Government, acting as temporary replacement for colleagues on leave, covering a wide range of topics including democratic theory, theories of hegemony, and critical theory. Apart from supervising MA students and sitting on PhD boards in the area of political theory at such an early stage of his career, this teaching stint also involved covering demanding MA modules in ideology and political discourse, as well as methods in political theory and analysis.

Jonathan was by all accounts a hugely valuable addition to our community here at the University of Essex where, apart from his graduate level teaching at the Department of Government, he had taught advanced undergraduates at the Department of Sociology, and was active in helping us organize the very successful 6th and 7th editions of the Annual Conference in Political Theory, with keynotes by Bonnie Honnig, David Owen, Linda Zerilli, and Ernesto Laclau (and not without lots of deliberation about whether to cut costs by reducing the number of colours on our posters).

Our paths would therefore cross innumerable times over a period of 8 years while Jonathan was at Essex, forging an attachment that was stronger than I had imagined to be the case, rekindled every time we would run into each other at academic conferences or otherwise.  As an ex-PhD supervisor in particular, it is impossible not to feel winded by the shockingly awful news that Jonathan had died so suddenly and unexpectedly. I feel both incredibly privileged and sad to have had the fortune to see how Jonathan cultivated and deepened his unique mix of sensibilities and gifts, becoming a formidable scholar and human being, while also seeing his potential cut short so abruptly.

Apart from his impressive academic-professional record, his never shying away from (always diplomatic) controversy and provocation, as well as his good humour and modest disposition, he also had an infectious enthusiasm for music and birds.

A continuing rising star in left academia since leaving Essex, most recently at Leeds, and with a gift for communicating to broad audiences, and touching so many at a professional-academic and personal level, he had so much more to give'.

'Jonathan was my thesis supervisor at the University of Leeds (School of Politics and International Studies) and I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside him for five years. We shared an interest in left politics and populism. When he told me he had completed his PhD at the University of Essex, I realised that I was in the presence of Laclauian greatness; Jonathan had the incredible gift of being able to explain the most complicated concepts in a way that made them sound perfectly straightforward. I used to love our supervision meetings, he would always give me sound advice, and we would invariably share a laugh about the little things in life that are sent to try us. He was kind and patient. I can’t quite believe that he is gone. My most heartfelt condolences go to his family at this most difficult time'.

'This is devastating news, and my thoughts are with Jonathan's family and close friends. I only met Jonathan on a handful of occasions but those formed a clear impression of someone that was fiercely committed, intelligent, wry and kind. Jonathan has been taken from us too young and had so much more to give and, as the tributes testify, will be sorely missed by so many.'