"Early Women in Psychoanalysis" with Klara Naszkowska, Ph.D.
Part of BGSP's Fall 2026 | Spring 2027 Speaker Series: Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Race, Racism, and Culture
Virtual event via Zoom
Allow us to step into the largely untold history of the women who helped shape the foundations of psychoanalysis. Drawing on her anthology, Early Women Psychoanalysts: History, Biography, and Contemporary Relevance, and her original research, Dr. Klara Naszkowska brings to life the pioneering figures who worked across Europe before World War II—many of whose contributions were later marginalized or erased. Situating their stories within the turbulent sociopolitical landscape of early 20th-century Europe, this talk explores themes of expanding educational opportunities, the rise of authoritarianism, forced migration, and the complexities of Jewish identity. It highlights how these trailblazers navigated intersecting forces of gender, religion, politics, and professional ambition during a period of profound transformation.
Presenter
Klara Naszkowska, Ph.D. (she/her) is a research scholar, educator, and writer specializing in the history of pioneering women psychoanalysts. She is the editor of the Gradiva Award–winning anthology, Early Women Psychoanalysts: History, Biography, and Contemporary Relevance (Routledge, 2024), which brings renewed attention to overlooked figures who helped shape the field. Her work situates psychoanalytic developments within the broader sociopolitical landscape of early 20th-century Europe, exploring the intersections of gender, Race, Nazi persecution, memory, and migration.
Dr. Naszkowska is a Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at Montclair State University and the founding director of the ‘International Association for Spielrein Studies’. Her scholarship and teaching highlight the enduring relevance of early women analysts and the complex systemic forces that shaped their lives and erased their legacies. Her work has been recognized with the Fulbright Fellowship, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s Schlesinger Library Grant, and the Leo Baeck Institute’s Gerald Westheimer Career Development Fellowship.
She also teaches online courses on the history of women in psychoanalysis; learn more at https://www.earlywomenpsychoanalysts.com
Discussant
Mahrou Zhaf, Psya.D., LP is a licensed psychoanalyst, faculty member, and clinical supervisor based in Manhattan, New York. She holds two doctoral degrees, one in Clinical Psychoanalysis and the other in Psychoanalysis, Society, and Culture. Her research examines the unconscious formation of identity in relation to power, with particular attention to gender, coloniality, and cultural psychopathology.
Objectives
The participant will be able to:
- Examine the sociopolitical, cultural, and economic conditions that shaped women’s entry into psychoanalysis in pre–WWI and interwar Europe.
- Analyze how broader historical forces—including gender norms, antisemitism, and political upheaval—shaped the personal and professional trajectories of early women psychoanalysts.
- Identify key women pioneers across Europe and appraise their contributions to the development of psychoanalysis.
2 CE Units / Clock Hours
BGSP is authorized to provide CEs for: Psychologists (all levels), Social Workers, Counselors
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The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
Direct inquiries may be made regarding the accreditation status by NECHE to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals may also contact: New England Commission on Higher Education, 3 Burlington Woods Drive, Ste 100, Burlington, MA 01803-4514, at (781) 425-7785 or email: info@neche.org
