136-260 Psychoanalysis and Social Theory

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Available as 136-360 at 3rd-year level.

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Subject Description

Psychoanalysis has informed and influenced contemporary social theory in manifold ways. Psychoanalysis has been central to theorising the decentred subject, it has radically affected conceptualisations of ideology, thrown reason under radical suspicion and has contributed to better understandings of identities; including identities of nation, race, gender and ethnicity. This subject investigates these issues in the context of a consideration of texts by Freud, Klein, Lacan, Kristeva, Adorno, Fromm, Habermas, Mitchell, Giddens, Flax and Althusser. Students who complete this subject should: possess knowledge of some major traditions in psychoanalytic theory; particularly Freudian, Kleinian and Lacanian; possess knowledge of some major traditions of social theory and their appropriations of psychoanalysis; possess an understanding of the place of psychoanalysis within certain forms of feminist theory; possess an awareness of why social theory has been drawn to psychoanalysis for the purpose of both theorising and analysing subjectivity, group processes, intergroup relations, ideological formations, and forms of reason; possess an understanding of the ways in which social theory has turned to psychoanalysis in order to develop methods of analysis which may be used in the study of empirical cases and, finally, possess an awareness of the centrality of psychoanalysis to the contemporary human sciences.

Assessment

Essay work or equivalent totalling 5000 words.