Table of Contents
Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg was a German sociologist, ethnologist, sexologist, and writer who was born on August 2, 1929.
Psychology, Indo-European studies, religious studies, and philosophy were among the many fields in which she worked. Her interdisciplinary approach was further expanded as she began to concentrate more on anthropology starting in 1980.
Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg used these methods extensively in her research, especially in the areas of sexology, homophobia, and prejudice studies. As a result, the Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists (SOLGA) (formerly the Anthropology Research Group on Homosexuality (ARGOH)) of the American Anthropological Association recognized her work on homophobia as internationally outstanding.
Life and Career
Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg attended the University of Bonn to study philosophy, sociology, psychology, ethnology, religious studies, and Indo-European studies.
Homosexualität und Transvestition im Schamanismus (Homosexuality and Transvestition in Shamanism) was the title of her 1969 thesis, which earned her a Magister Artium, or master’s degree.
The following year, she completed her PhD, focusing on the historical and societal perceptions of sexual deviance in her dissertation on Sexuelle Abartigkeit im Urteil der abendländischen Religions-, Geistes-, und Rechtsgeschichte im Zusammenhang mit der Gesellschaftsentwicklung (“The religious, philosophical, and legal construction of sexual deviance in interdependence with the development of Western society”).
Following her graduation, Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg worked as a scientific assistant at Bonn University’s Sociological Institute. She was an independent journalist, writer, and sociologist who was involved in several political and scientific groups.
The German Society for Social-Scientific Sexuality Research named her as one of its prominent members. She was a member of the Enquete group on AIDS, a legislative research group that looked into the disease’s effects on society, the law, and public health in the late 1980s.
Her 1989 book, Angst und Vorurteil (Fear and Prejudice), which explored societal responses to AIDS, was published as a result of her cooperation with the commission.
What was Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg Cause of Death?
Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg died on 12 February 2025, at the age of 95. Her cause of death has not been revealed.
References
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisela_Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg
http://www.germananthropology.com/short-portrait/gisela-bleibtreu-ehrenberg/433
