European University Institute

Alumnus, History and Civilization

Thesis Title: Une histoire transculturelle de la réception catholique de la psychanalyse: les congrès catholiques internationaux de psychologie, 1919-1959

About

Specialized in the history of contemporary Christianity, I defended, in 2009, my doctoral thesis at the European University Institute (Florence). A revised version of the dissertation, entitled "L'inconscient au paradis: Comment les catholiques ont reçu la psychanalyse", has come out last September at Payot Publishers. It has been reviewed in leading newspapers, magazines, journals and websites ("Le Monde", "La Croix", "Lire", "Psychologies Magazine", "Etudes", "Vingtième siècle. Revue d'histoire", "Psicoterapia e scienze umane", Non fiction.fr...)

My current research follows three complementary directions: history of Christianity, history of human sciences, and history of women.

I am currently working on a book project on mystical phenomena (stigmatas, apparitions...) in the first half of 20th century. I am studying how a new understanding of mystical phenomena has emerged under the concomitant influence of the Inter-War spiritual revival and the rise of religious psychology.

I wish also to open a new research field by exploring how human sciences have questioned traditional religious anthropologies and have supported a reformulation of lay people-clergy and women-men interactions in the second half of 20th century.

In line with my PhD research,I am focusing more closely on the history of sacerdotal psychology. How psychology has changed people's attitude toward priesthood? How did it encourage debates on priest's canonical status? What was its impact on the conception of priesthood promoted by the Second Vatican Council?

In longer perspective, I wish to study how female believers have negotiated their religious and women's identities in the UN context. Concentrating particularly on religious women's NGOs, I would examine how female activists belonging to various denominations aimed to formulate and deliver their specific contribution to women’s rights policies both at the UN and in their own churches. I  would also show how human and social sciences have helped shape new feminine identities in religious context. Preliminary results of this new research have been presented during conferences (American Historical Association Conference, Berkshire Conference on the History of Women).