Although there have been many attempts to apply the ideas of psychoanalysis to political thought, this book is the first to identify the political project inherent in the fundamental tenets of psychoanalysis. And this political project, Todd McGowan contends, provides an avenue for emancipatory politics after the failure of Marxism in the twentieth century.
Where others seeking the political import of psychoanalysis have looked to Freud's early work on sexuality, McGowan focuses on Freud's discovery of the death drive and Jacques Lacan's elaboration of this concept. He argues that the self-destruction occurring as a result of the death drive is the foundational act of emancipation around which we should construct our political philosophy. Psychoanalysis offers the possibility for thinking about emancipation not as an act of overcoming loss but as the embrace of loss. It is only through the embrace of loss, McGowan suggests, that we find the path to enjoyment, and enjoyment is the determinative factor in all political struggles-and only in a political project that embraces the centrality of loss will we find a viable alternative to global capitalism.
| ISBN: | 9780803245112 |
| Publication date: | 1st July 2013 |
| Author: | Todd McGowan |
| Publisher: | University of Nebraska Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 364 pages |
| Series: | Symploke Studies in Contemporary Theory |
| Genres: |
Social and political philosophy Psychoanalytical and Freudian psychology Political science and theory Political ideologies and movements Politics and government |
Although there have been many attempts to apply the ideas of psychoanalysis to political thought, this book is the first to identify the political project inherent in the fundamental tenets of psychoanalysis. And this political project, Todd McGowan contends, provides an avenue for emancipatory politics after the failure of Marxism in the twentieth century.
Where others seeking the political import of psychoanalysis have looked to Freud's early work on sexuality, McGowan focuses on Freud's discovery of the death drive and Jacques Lacan's elaboration of this concept. He argues that the self-destruction occurring as a result of the death drive is the foundational act of emancipation around which we should construct our political philosophy. Psychoanalysis offers the possibility for thinking about emancipation not as an act of overcoming loss but as the embrace of loss. It is only through the embrace of loss, McGowan suggests, that we find the path to enjoyment, and enjoyment is the determinative factor in all political struggles-and only in a political project that embraces the centrality of loss will we find a viable alternative to global capitalism.
Enjoying What We Don't Have features in the following genres: Social and political philosophy, Psychoanalytical and Freudian psychology, Political science and theory, Political ideologies and movements, Politics and government
Enjoying What We Don't Have is available in Ebook, Paperback
Enjoying What We Don't Have was written by Todd McGowan and published by University of Nebraska Press
Enjoying What We Don't Have has 364 pages
Yes it is part of Symploke Studies in Contemporary Theory series
£31.50