Henriette Herz's "Epistemic Activism" in Romantic-Era Berlin: Some Challenges of the Jewish Salon as a Transformative Social Experience

Abstract

Abstract:This paper reassesses the emancipatory potential of Jewish salons in Romantic-era Berlin through the case of Henriette Herz. Challenging idealized accounts of these gatherings as spaces of female empowerment and civic inclusion, it argues that they also imposed significant burdens on their hostesses. First, it examines the structural constraints that limited the salons' gender-transformative potential. Second, it shows how Schleiermacher's interpretation of salon sociability obscured the tensions between women's prescribed domestic roles and their civic aspirations. By highlighting the structural vulnerability of Jewish salonnières, the paper calls for a reevaluation of their place in European intellectual and social history.