Johannes Fehr teaches Theory of Language as Titular Professor at the Philosophical Faculty at the University of Zurich and since the first of October 2004 he has been Deputy Head of Chair of the Collegium Helveticum at which he has been working since its foundation in the spring of 1997. He used to be in charge of the domain of Arts and Literature and since the first of October 2004 he has been coordinator in the domain of Humanities, Social Science and Cultural Studies.
Born in Erlenbach (ZH) in 1957, Fehr studied German Language and Literature Studies, French Literature and Anthropological Psychology in Zurich and Paris. He earned his doctorate in 1987 with a language theoretical examination of the early scriptures of Sigmund Freud. His habilitation at the University of Zurich in 1997 addressed the language theoretical significance of the literary remains of Ferdinand de Saussure.
Fehr's research focus lies on the language theoretical thinking on the borders of Linguistics and Semiotics as well as of Psychology and Philosophy. Effects of communication technological developments on the use and understanding of language as well as the language creative reflection of literary writing are thereby of particular importance to him.
At the Collegium Helveticum Johannes Fehr took part in the initiation and the implementation of several scientific projects as «Schreiben am Netz», «Narrativität in den Wissenschaften», «Wissenschaft kontrovers», «Archäologie der Zukunft». Since Juli 2005 he has been assigned to lead and set up the Ludwik Fleck Zentrum.