Bernhard Hertlein - "The Dreamlike World" of Jung: Changing Perspectives of India

Abstract
In this presentation, journalist and India expert Bernhard Hertlein offers a comprehensive exploration of evolving perspectives on India during the transformative period of 1918-1945 - a time that also inspired C.G. Jung to travel to India. Hertlein's observations are based on the German literature of the period, especially youth literature in German language. He explores the complex interplay between stereotypes and nuanced representations, reflecting broader global shifts and Germany's turbulent 20th-century history. Highlighting the symbolic significance of geographical features such as the Indian jungle and the Ganges, Hertlein also explores the evolving representation of the country, considering the historical representation of the Indian people as well as the influence of colonial stereotypes on literature. Finally, he uses Jung's text "The Dreaming World of India", which offers a reflective account of India through a European lens.

Bio
Bernhard Hertlein is a journalist and Amnesty International activist based in Bielefeld, Germany. He studied history, political science and Indology at the University of Heidelberg and was head of the business section of the Westfalen-Blatt newspaper. He is the spokesperson for Amnesty International's Bangladesh chapter and has travelled extensively throughout the Bengal region. After his active time as an editor, he has finally found the time to devote himself to his doctoral thesis. His subject is the representation of India in German youth literature. His supervisor is Prof. Dr. Ursula Kocher of the University of Wuppertal. Bernhard Hertlein has written several essays, including "Ten years after the Rana Plaza disaster: A reminder for better working conditions in Bangladesh" (Amnesty Journal, April 2023) and "Henry Kissinger is not 'the' West – Reactions to the liberation struggle of the Bangladeshi people" (in: Golam Abu Zakaria (ed.), Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – Founding Father, Social Reformer and Visionary, Ulm 2020).