In this lecture presentation, I will reflect on why a Jewish feminist would spend 40+ years of her life exploring the surprising confluence of themes and images she discovered in the life and work of Franz Kafka and Frida Kahlo. For many decades and continuing into the present—when issues of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and hybridity are so salient—these artists have become icons who embody the brokenness of our world, but who also, by means of their artistic expression, offer possibilities of hope for healing.
Temple Micah member Evelyn (“Evi”) Torton Beck is Professor Emerita, University of Maryland, and holds Ph.Ds. in both Comparative Literature and Clinical Psychology. She received an Honorary Doctorate in Vienna, Austria from The University for Music and Performing Arts for her life’s work in the creation of interdisciplinary Women’s and Gender Studies and her continuing fight against anti-Semitism, homophobia, and all “isms” that divide us. Her writings include ground-breaking research on Franz Kafka, Frida Kahlo, Jewish Women’s Studies, Lesbian Studies, as well as feminist transformations of knowledge. She is also associated with the Fielding Graduate University’s projects: “Creative Longevity and Wisdom” and “Somatics and Phenomenology. She has written studies about Sacred Circle dance, which she continues to teach in the Washington DC area to this day. Learn more at www.evibeck.com.
Register before 5 p.m. the Sunday before for in-person lunch ($10) or by the next evening for the Zoom link.
For more information, please email Lunch and Learn.