In Memoriam: Mervyn Hartwig (1937–2026)

We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Mervyn Hartwig, a major figure in the critical realist community, who died on 30 July 2026 following a sudden severe stroke and pneumonia.

Onur Ozmen provided these details below.

Mervyn made an extraordinary contribution to critical realism over many years. He was the founding editor of the Journal of Critical Realism and served as its general editor from 1998 to 2016. He was editor and a major author of the Dictionary of Critical Realism (2007), co-author with Roy Bhaskar of The Formation of Critical Realism (2010), and editor and author, with Jamie Morgan, of Critical Realism and Spirituality (2011). He also played an important role in preparing Roy Bhaskar’s posthumous publications, including Enlightened Common Sense (2016).

Mervyn founded what became the Journal of Critical Realism as a newsletter, then titled Alethia. Through resourcefulness and determination, figuring out many things from scratch and overcoming many challenges, internal and external, he led its development into a full-fledged peer-reviewed academic journal. This was a huge milestone in giving critical realism organized and institutional grounding in academia. As Onur Ozmen recalls, when he later asked Mervyn how he had managed to accomplish this, Mervyn replied: “I’m afraid I did it by working very hard. … My motivation – human emancipation.”

We are all reaping the benefits of that hard work now.

His Dictionary of Critical Realism is a magisterial work whose accuracy, clarity, and comprehensiveness demonstrate the rigour and consistency of critical realist thought. Mervyn also served as a confidant, intellectual companion, and essential support to Roy Bhaskar, and after Bhaskar’s death prepared a number of his works for posthumous publication.

Earlier this year, Mervyn published his memoir, Up From Midnight: Fathoming the Depths of Reality with Ram Roy Bhaskar (2026), an autobiography and important document in the history of critical realism and its ideas. In his final correspondence with Onur, Mervyn expressed how pleased he was with how the book had turned out.

Those who knew Mervyn remember not only his intellectual and editorial contributions but also the way he treated people. Onur recalls him treating everyone as an equal, whether a student or a senior scholar, and offering comments that were sharp but constructive, fair, and to the point.

His family remembered him as “a crucial thinker in the critical realist world,” as well as a loving husband, father and stepfather. They also recalled his love of planting trees and his deep and enduring love of orchids, which he tended with great patience and care.

As Onur writes: “We were extremely lucky that we had someone like Mervyn Hartwig in the community. He did all of these out of love, with no expectation of any career advancement or material gain in return, captivated by the strength of good ideas, practicing what he believed in.”

Our condolences go to Mervyn’s family and friends, and to the many colleagues, students, and members of the critical realist community whose lives and work he influenced.

An obituary will also be published in the Journal of Critical Realism.

The photograph of Mervyn, also used on his Academia.edu and ResearchGate profiles, was shared by his family and published with his obituary in The Sydney Morning Herald.