Psychoanalysis and the Politics of the Family: The Crisis of Initiation

Psychoanalysis and the Politics of Family aims to raise a sophisticated and accessible debate around the family, self-making, and the political and cultural implications of liberation. It proposes a new way to read the Lacanian theory of Oedipus and resituates a series of important political and theoretical debates that have concerned intellectual life over the last forty years.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 139 pages
Publication date: 13 February 2023
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Psychoanalysis and the Politics of Family is a groundbreaking work that seeks to engage in a sophisticated and accessible debate surrounding the family, self-making, and the political and cultural implications of liberation. The text proposes a novel interpretation of the Lacanian theory of Oedipus, which in turn leads to a re-examination of several critical political and theoretical debates that have occupied the intellectual landscape for the past forty years. Written in a clear and accessible style, the text is designed to appeal to a wide range of readers, including specialists in Lacanian and Marxist theory as well as those with a general interest in understanding the implications of debates across populist and Marxist perspectives that have dominated the global left since the 2008 economic crisis.

The primary objective of the text is to re-situate the theories of emancipation and liberation from a distinctive psychoanalytic and Lacanian perspective. By re-examining the infamous "Oedipus complex" in a new light, the text opens up a series of debates with important theoretical interlocutors, including the influential American historian and psychoanalytic thinker Christopher Lasch, whose thought has experienced a significant resurgence of interest in recent years. Lasch's work, known for its critical examination of the social and cultural implications of modernity, has been particularly relevant in the context of the current political and social climate.

In addition to Lasch, the text engages with the thought of René Girard, a staunch critic of Freud and Lacan. Girard's work, which explores the themes of desire, violence, and sacrifice, has had a profound impact on the field of psychoanalysis and has influenced many other thinkers, including Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, who are widely read for their influential Anti-Oedipus series. The Anti-Oedipus series challenges the Freudian and Lacanian notions of Oedipus and offers a new perspective on the origins of desire and the mechanisms of social control.

Through its engagement with these theoretical interlocutors, Psychoanalysis and the Politics of Family offers a rich and nuanced exploration of the complex relationship between the family, self-making, and the political and cultural implications of liberation. The text provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate about the role of psychoanalysis in contemporary society and its potential to address the challenges posed by the current political and social climate. By offering a fresh perspective on the Lacanian theory of Oedipus and its implications for political and theoretical debates, the text encourages readers to think critically about the ways in which power, desire, and identity are shaped by social and cultural structures.

In conclusion, Psychoanalysis and the Politics of Family is a groundbreaking work that offers a fresh and innovative perspective on the family, self-making, and the political and cultural implications of liberation. Written in a clear and accessible style, the text is designed to appeal to a wide range of readers and encourages critical thinking about the ways in which power, desire, and identity are shaped by social and cultural structures. By engaging with a range of theoretical interlocutors, the text provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate about the role of psychoanalysis in contemporary society and its potential to address the challenges posed by the current political and social climate.

Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030940720
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022