Understanding Contemporary Diet Culture through the Lens of Lacanian Psychoanalytic Theory: Eating the Lack

This book explores the relationship between diets and identity in modern Western culture,using Lacanian psychoanalytic theory to investigate how food and eating behaviors are used to navigate unconscious desires and conflicts. It offers insight into the unconscious desires that dictate individuals choices around diets and lifestyle and promotes a different understanding of the ways we come to eating and dieting.

Format: Hardback
Length: 140 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between diets and identity in modern Western culture, offering a comprehensive analysis through the examination of popular texts such as blogs, diet books, and websites. While scholars have extensively studied the interplay between consumerism and identity, the role of food and eating behaviors in this relationship has received less attention. By employing Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, the chapters in this book delve into the intricate ways in which diets and eating are employed as tools to navigate the complex and often unconscious desires and conflicts of individuals. Moreover, they shed light on how the diet and advertising industries capitalize on these anxieties, shaping the dietary choices and lifestyle preferences of the modern subject.

The psychoanalytic approach employed in these chapters provides a rare insight into the unconscious desires that drive individuals' choices regarding diets and lifestyle. By framing anxiety as the tension between jouissance and desire, the book fosters a deeper understanding of the subjective and complex relationships individuals have with food. This insightful perspective challenges traditional notions of eating and dieting, encouraging us to think differently about the ways in which we approach these practices.

This book is of immense value to scholars and postgraduate students engaged in the study of Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, consumer psychology, mental health, the sociology of culture, and social and cultural anthropology. It offers a rich and nuanced perspective on the complex dynamics between diets, identity, and consumerism, providing valuable insights for future research and scholarship in these fields.

Weight: 439g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032110417