The Secret Mind of Bertha Pappenheim: Psychoanalysis in German-Jewish History

Part 2 of LBI's Forum on Psychoanalysis and Society

On November 12, Gabriel Brownstein will present his book, The Secret Mind of Bertha Pappenheim with Abby Kluchin. Bertha Pappenheim, who became an outspoken feminist and social pioneer in Vienna, was treated for hysteria by Sigmund Freud’s mentor, Josef Breuer. Later, Freud appropriated many of Pappenheim’s ideas to form his theory of psychoanalysis.

About the Series:

This fall, the Leo Baeck Institute presents the Forum on Psychoanalysis and Society, a series of three conversations exploring the German-Jewish legacy of psychoanalysis and its echoes in both academia and popular psychology today. Our speakers will present their recent projects, all of which tell stories of German-speaking Jewish individuals who, in reacting and reflecting on their own changing social and political worlds, made an immeasurable impact on the study of psychoanalysis. As these authors engage in conversation with interlocutors, they will reflect on the ways these groundbreaking psychoanalytic strides in German-Jewish history fit in with drastic social changes throughout 20th century Europe.

About the Speakers:

Gabriel Brownstein is the author of two books of fiction and two books of non-fiction, most recently THE SECRET MIND OF BERTHA PAPPENHEIM. He is a Professor in the English department at St. John's University. For his short stories, he's won a PEN/Hemingway Award and a Pushcart Prize.

Abby Kluchin is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Ursinus College, where she also coordinates the Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies program. She is co-founder and Associate Director at Large of the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research and co-host of the psychoanalysis podcast Ordinary Unhappiness.