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Amy Allen

Critique on the Couch: Why Critical Theory Needs Psychoanalysis

Critique on the Couch: Why Critical Theory Needs Psychoanalysis

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  • More about Critique on the Couch: Why Critical Theory Needs Psychoanalysis


Amy Allen's book "Critique on the Couch" argues that psychoanalysis is still relevant to critical theory by offering a more realistic understanding of human subjectivity that can inspire creativity, self-transformation, and progressive social change. She draws on Freud, Klein, and Lacan to develop a strand of psychoanalytic thinking that focuses on loss, negativity, ambivalence, and mourning, rather than despair.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2020
Publisher: Columbia University Press


In her book "Critique on the Couch," Amy Allen provides a compelling and convincing defense of the ongoing relevance of psychoanalysis. Countering the overly rationalist and progressivist interpretations of psychoanalysis put forward by contemporary critical theorists such as Jürgen Habermas and Axel Honneth, Allen argues that the work of Melanie Klein offers an underutilized resource. Drawing on Freud, Klein, and Lacan, she develops a more realistic strand of psychoanalytic thinking that centers on notions of loss, negativity, ambivalence, and mourning. Contrary to popular belief, this understanding of human subjectivity functions as a foundation of creativity, productive self-transformation, and progressive social change.

At a time when critical theorists are increasingly returning to psychoanalytic thought to diagnose the dysfunctions of our politics, this book opens up new ways of understanding the political implications of psychoanalysis while preserving the progressive, emancipatory aims of critique. By exploring the relationship between psychoanalysis and critical theory, Allen offers a fresh perspective on the power of the unconscious and its potential to shape our understanding of the world. "Critique on the Couch" is a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue between psychoanalysis and critical theory, and it will be of interest to scholars and practitioners alike.

Weight: 384g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231198615

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