The un/seen pioneer of ambiguity tolerance

This chapter re-examines the legacy of Else Frenkel-Brunswik within Intercultural Communication Education and Research (ICER). While ambiguity tolerance remains cited as a psychological construct, the original Frenkel-Brunswik-Theorem and her broader epistemic stance, methodological innovations, and trajectory as a Jewish émigré scholar have been marginalised. Through a palimpsestic and autotheoretical approach, this chapter reconstructs her critique of rigid categorisation in science, her method of holding ambiguity in research, and her overlooked legacy in antisemitism theory. Her work is situated within the history of forced migration in science in the mid-20th century. At a time of resurging antisemitism and authoritarianism, revisiting Frenkel-Brunswik’s scholarly work is a critical response to present epistemic and societal challenges.