Wild Analysis: From the Couch to Cultural and Political Life

Winner of the 2022 Gradiva® Award for Best Edited Book!
Wild Analysis: From the Couch to Cultural and Political Life explores the limits of psychoanalysis by proposing to reopen the question of 'wild analysis' through exploring psychoanalytic ideas at their limits. The book's twelve essays pursue fault lines, dissonances, and new resonances in established psychoanalytic theory, taking on sensitive and difficult topics in twentieth-century cultural and political life. It will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and students working across the fields of psychoanalysis, history, literature, culture, and politics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 206 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Winner of the 2022 Gradiva® Award for Best Edited Book!

This groundbreaking book delves into the realm of 'wild analysis,' a concept introduced by Freud to describe the use of psychoanalytic notions, diagnoses, and treatments by individuals without formal psychoanalytic training. It presents a compelling perspective that challenges the boundaries of psychoanalysis and offers a fresh approach to exploring its limits.

Wild Analysis: From the Couch to Cultural and Political Life takes on the task of reopening the debate surrounding 'wild analysis.' By pushing the boundaries of psychoanalytic ideas, the book explores psychoanalytic concepts at their extremes, drawing from a diverse range of perspectives. It argues that the thinking produced at these limits, where psychoanalysis intersects with other disciplines and encounters moments of theoretical impasse, holds the key to unlocking new possibilities for both psychoanalysis and the humanities.

The book's twelve essays delve into fault lines, dissonances, and new resonances within established psychoanalytic theory. These essays take on sensitive and complex topics of twentieth-century cultural and political life, including representations of illness, forced migration, and the experiences of refugees. They also address issues of racial identity and identification in post-war and post-apartheid periods, as well as contemporary debates surrounding the Enlightenment and its modern invocations. Additionally, the essays explore more acute cases of 'wilding,' such as models of education and research informed by the insights of psychoanalysis, or instances where psychoanalysis ventures into taboo political and cultural territory, as seen in Freud's references to cannibalism.

This book is a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and students engaged in the fields of psychoanalysis, history, literature, and cultural studies. It provides a rich and thought-provoking exploration of the boundaries of psychoanalysis and offers insightful perspectives on the complex issues of our time. By challenging the traditional boundaries of psychoanalysis, this book opens up new avenues for understanding and interpreting the human psyche.

Weight: 390g
Dimension: 154 x 234 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032061146