Affect, Alienation, and Politics in Therapeutic Culture: Capitalism on the Skin

This book explores therapeutic culture as a site of contradiction and contestation of capitalism, challenging the interpretation of therapeutic culture as individualizing and depoliticizing. It suggests that therapeutic engagements can be articulated and engaged with in many different ways, harnessed for diverse political projects, and open up a space for contestation and critique of neoliberal capitalism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 13 August 2022
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This groundbreaking book makes a significant contribution to the field of therapeutic culture by drawing on extensive ethnographic research and providing a fresh theoretical interpretation of therapeutic culture in contemporary society. It argues that the therapeutic realm serves as a crucial platform where a multitude of contradictions inherent in capitalism are openly confronted and experienced. The book demonstrates that therapeutic engagements are inherently ambivalent and paradoxical, as they can be interpreted and engaged with in numerous ways, leading to the pursuit of diverse and often conflicting political projects. It challenges the prevailing notion that therapeutic culture is merely individualizing, depoliticizing, and aligned with neoliberalism, revealing that therapeutic interactions can also create a space for contestation and critique of neoliberal capitalism. Furthermore, the book advocates for the mobilization of collective action for social change and the articulation of alternative forms of life and subjectivities. This book appeals to a broad range of audiences within the social sciences, particularly those engaged in the fields of sociology, anthropology, critical psychology, cultural studies, gender studies, and critical social theory. Its insights and perspectives will undoubtedly enrich the ongoing discourse on therapeutic culture and its implications for our understanding of contemporary society.

Weight: 432g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031105715
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022