Professor Nancy Chodorow (1944-2025)
Nancy Chodorow, an esteemed sociologist, psychoanalyst and professor emerita at UC Berkeley, passed away on Oct. 14. She was 81.
Chodorow joined the Berkeley Sociology Department in 1986 after graduating from Radcliffe College in 1966 and receiving her Ph.D. in sociology from Brandeis University in 1975.
While at Brandeis, she studied under sociologist Philip Slater, whose work on mother-son relationships inspired Chodorow to examine why there was no extensive literature on mother-daughter relationships. Her research on them ultimately culminated in her dissertation, later published as The Reproduction of Mothering. The 1978 book became one of the most influential works of feminist study and gender theory, transforming the field of psychoanalytic feminism.
Chodorow’s revolutionary theories on feminism and gender bridged the fields of sociology and psychoanalysis. She studied how mothering shapes psychological development and social roles, suggesting links between girls’ gender development and the strength of their relationship with their mother, among other topics.
After The Reproduction of Mothering, Chodorow would go on to author five other books, including; Femininities, Masculinities, Sexualities: Freud and Beyond; The Psychoanalytic Ear and the Sociological Eye: Toward an American Independent Tradition; and The Power of Feelings: Personal Meaning in Psychoanalysis, Gender, and Culture. She also authored more than 60 articles and book chapters, influencing countless scholars both within and beyond the field of sociology.
The family is planning a memorial over the next few months, and Professor Chodorow’s former students and colleagues are planning a memorial session at ASA in August. Those interested in helping can contact Sociology Department Chair Dave Harding at dharding@berkeley.edu.
To add your own remembrances below, please email sociologychair@berkeley.edu. Please be sure to include your name and any affiliation with UC Berkeley.
Remembrances and Tributes
“Nancy Chodorow was one of the founding figures of second wave feminist theory. She revolutionized feminist theorizing by bringing together the psychoanalytic and the sociological, emphasizing the role of the structure of the nuclear family in creating the early psychic formation of men and women. I was fortunate to experience her brilliance and clarity when I arrived at Berkeley as a young feminist sociologist, and will always be grateful for her mentorship.” -- Berkeley Social Sciences Dean Raka Ray
“Throughout her career, Nancy crafted pioneering essays and books that bridged the worlds of individual and society, psyche and structure. She reconceptualized our understanding of gender, family, sexualities and individuality. Nancy was a rare, bracing voice that will be sorely missed.” -- UCLA sociology professor and psychoanalyst Jeffrey Prager
“Nancy Chodorow was a bold, courageous innovator. She used psychoanalytic ideas not to explain individual behavior but to develop a distinctive account of broad (indeed, universal) patterns in human societies: persistent differences in identity formation and psychic tendencies between women and men, and even the constitution of gender itself. Her work has been widely influential in fields from American Studies to literature and throughout social sciences.” -- Berkeley Sociology Professor Emerita Ann Swidler
“Nancy Chodorow was a genuinely innovative thinker. She brought together two bodies of literature: psychoanalysis, which saw the self primarily as an internal process, and sociology, which saw the self as primarily external, created in interaction with others. Perhaps her contribution is clearest in her book The Psychoanalytic Ear and the Sociological Eye, which taught sociologists to listen to people as well as observe them.” -- Berkeley Sociology and Law Professor Emerita Kristin Luker
I wish to express my deepest respects and sincere condolences on the passing of Professor Nancy Chodorow. As a fellow sociologist, I have been deeply inspired by her profound writings, particularly her reflections on self and the human experience. Her scholarship continues to enlighten and guide many of us who strive to understand the deeper dimensions of society and identity. I pray that her noble soul rests in eternal peace. As members of the global community of sociologists, we are committed to carrying forward her vision and intellectual legacy so that younger generations may continue to learn from her remarkable insights and compassionate perspective. -- Prof. Alka Sharma, Dean Humanities &Social Sciences, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Uttar Pradesh, India
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