The Subject of Liberation : Žižek, Politics, Psychoanalysis

The book shares Žižek's central problem of how to revitalize the radical political left through theory. It initially follows the argument developed in The Ticklish Subject that contemporary leftist thought is divided by antagonism between a Marxist revolutionary politics founded on Enlightenment philosophy and a politics of identity founded on post-modern post-structuralism. How Žižek used Lacan's theory of character structures is examined here to describe this theoretical deadlock and explain how the dominant contemporary ideologies of liberal tolerant multiculturalism and reactionary "pseudo-fundamentalism" compete to mobilize the individual subject's unconscious drive to enjoyment. The book thus emphasizes the moments in which Žižek hints that Lacanian theory may describe a practice that facilitates the resolution of antagonisms that placate radical leftist politics. It challenges prevalent interpretations of Lacanian ends of analysis, to ultimately connect the psychoanalytic cure to the leftist project of social and political liberation. The Subject of Liberation argues that if Lacan is to be useful to leftist politics, then the left has to develop its own definitions of the post-analytic subject, and proposes one such definition developed out of Lacanian and Žižekian theory. Reviews “In this quixotic reading of Žižek's The Ticklish Subject Charles Wells provides a refreshingly personal yet political plea for revisiting the subject of liberation. Wells takes his readers to a journey that traces the path of leftist politics to a subject whose liberation requires as much imagination as courage. He bids his readers to begin right here.” – Engin Isin (The Open University) “In this thought-provoking and eminently readable book, Wells manages to unpack some of the densest passages in Žižek's 'theory of liberation' by distilling their political core. This is no small achievement.” – Fabio Vighi (Cardiff University) Cover 1 Contents 8 Introduction: The Subject of Liberation 12 The Lacanian Left 14 Why Lacan? 16 Why Žižek? Why The Ticklish Subject? 18 Part 1 The Problem 26 1 How to Read the Ticklish Subject 28 I’m not yet writing a book 28 Look where it comes again, Horatio! 29 Žižek’s postmodern other 32 The Ticklish Subject: A drama 34 2 Leftist Philosophy and Lacan’s Theory of Character Structures 36 That old leftist problem 36 The deadlock of desire: Perversion vs. hysteria 37 The philosophy of perversion 40 The philosophy of hysteria 42 Acting out the doubt 44 The philosophy of obsessionality 46 Part 2 The Subject, Ideology and Psychoanalysis 50 3 The Žižekian Universal Subject 52 Psychoanalysis as liberation: Traversing the fantasy 52 Why Butler? 53 The anxious void of subjectivity: Žižek as a reader of Laplanche 55 The fundamental fantasy: Enjoyment, masochism, consistency 58 Žižek’s cogito: The Other doesn’t know, therefore I don’t know 61 4 Ideology: The Big Other, the Symbolic Mandate and the Social Superego 64 The big other 64 Interpellation: The subject’s symbolic mandate 66 Superego: The return of enjoyment 68 The social superego 70 The perverse turn: How to have your cake and eat it too 72 5 Freedom and Responsibility: The Liberatory Promise of Lacanian Psychoanalysis 76 Defining liberation: Hamlet on the couch 76 Gertrude doesn’t know 77 Returning the question: The freedom to decide and responsibility for deciding 80 Others who are supposed: Traversing the social fantasy 81 Part 3 Contemporary Ideologies 86 6 The Problem of Postmodernity: A Life of Pleasures 88 Traditional ideology has been traversed... 88 And, in its place, postmodern ideology! 90 The postmodern ego-ideal: Buy two, get one free! 93 Liberal tolerant multiculturalism 95 7 The Postmodern Social Superego: Reflexive Sadomasochism 100 Enjoy your discipline! 100 Reflexive sadomasochism 101 Postmodern ideology’s traditional other 103 8 The Unholy Conspiracy: Postmodern Ideology and (Pseudo-)Fundamentalism 108 Fundamentalism, psychosis and the need for another framework 108 The really (non-)existing big Other 110 The other supposed to enjoy/believe 1: Misunderstanding postmodern ideology 113 The other supposed to enjoy/believe 2: Misunderstanding fundamentalism 115 The postmodern/fundamentalist pact: Stop believing and know! 118 Part 4 Going Through the Deadlock 122 9 Antagonism in the Real 124 Towards a definition of the post-analytic subject and the liberated society 124 Antagonism in the real 126 Deciding how to decide 128 Infinitely proliferating perspectives: Aggravation and mediation 130 Warfare vs. recognition: A single structural divide 132 What aggravation points towards without knowing it 135 10 The Theory of the Four Fundamental Discourses 138 The four fundamental discourses: A mapping exercise 138 The discourses 140 The philosophies and their discourses 143 Correcting hysteria: Master yourself! 145 Correcting perversion: Acknowledge the void! 148 11 The Deadlock of Lacanian Ethics and the Analytic Moment 152 What are you taking responsibility for? 152 Ethics and the theory of character structures 154 Pre- and post-analytic subjects 157 A reflexive decision for responsibility 159 The role of the analyst 161 Part 5 Post-Analytic Subjects 164 12 The Post-Analytic Subject 1: The Analyst 166 Lacanian ethics: Support freedom and responsibility as such 166 The analyst 168 Disavowal and responsibility? 170 What are you disavowing? 172 13 The Post-Analytic Subject 2: The Lover 176 The deadlock of desire vs. the deadlock of drive 176 The ethics of drive: I Love You! 178 What discourse is love? 181 14 Post-Analytic Philosophies 186 Combined starting assumptions 186 The beloved object: Anne Frank and John Brown vs. multiculturalism 188 The politics of prescription and the Nazi Henchman 190 The beloved object is the subject 192 Part 6 Liberated Societies 196 15 Liberated Societies 1: A Universal Right to Psychoanalysis and the Antagonistic Society 198 A universal right to psychoanalysis 198 Love for a social group vs. patriotism 200 An antagonistic society 202 The liberatory fetish: Dean and Stavrakakis as readers of Žižek 205 16 Liberated Societies 2: A Society of Analysts 210 Analysis as a positive project? Bartelby politics 210 Analyst as theorist, analyst as educator: The discourse of the analyst as a defence 213 A society of analysts: Lacan’s Leninist moment 215 A debate on the ends of analysis: The analyst meets the lover 217 The radical democratic project: Žižek as a reader of Stavrakakis 221 Conclusion: Go, Bid the Soldiers Shoot! 226 A creation myth 226 A myth that knows... 228 Convincing Slavoj Žižek that he doesn’t exist 232 Notes 235 Bibliography 246 Index 249 "The book shares Žižek's central problem of how to revitalize the radical political left through theory. It initially follows the argument developed in The Ticklish Subject that contemporary leftist thought is divided by antagonism between a Marxist revolutionary politics founded on Enlightenment philosophy and a politics of identity founded on post-modern post-structuralism. How Žižek used Lacan's theory of character structures is examined here to describe this theoretical deadlock and explain how the dominant contemporary ideologies of liberal tolerant multiculturalism and reactionary "pseudo-fundamentalism" compete to mobilize the individual subject's unconscious drive to enjoyment. The book thus emphasizes the moments in which Žižek hints that Lacanian theory may describe a practice that facilitates the resolution of antagonisms that placate radical leftist politics. It challenges prevalent interpretations of Lacanian ends of analysis, to ultimately connect the psychoanalytic cure to the leftist project of social and political liberation. The Subject of Liberation argues that if Lacan is to be useful to leftist politics, then the left has to develop its own definitions of the post-analytic subject, and proposes one such definition developed out of Lacanian and Zizekian theory"-- Provided by publisher Machine generated contents note: Dedication Introduction: The Subject of Liberation I: THE PROBLEM 1. How to Read the Ticklish Subject 2. Leftist Philosophy and Lacan's Theory of Character Structures II: THE SUBJECT, IDEOLOGY, AND PSYCHOANALYSIS 3. The Zizekian Universal Subject 4. Ideology: The Big Other, The Symbolic Mandate, and The Social Superego 5. Freedom and Responsibility: The Liberatory Promise of Lacanian Psychoanalysis III: CONTEMPORARY IDEOLOGIES 6. The Problem of Postmodernity: A Life of Pleasures 7. The Postmodern Social Superego: Reflexive Sadomasochism 8. The Unholy Conspiracy: Postmodern Ideology and (Pseudo-)Fundamentalism IV: GOING THROUGH THE DEADLOCK 9. Antagonism in the Real 10. The Theory of the Four Fundamental Discourses 11. The Deadlock of Lacanian Ethics and the Analytic Moment V: POST-ANALYTIC SUBJECTS 12. The Post-Analytic Subject 1: The Analyst 13. The Post-Analytic Subject 2: The Lover 14. Post-Analytic Philosophies VI: LIBERATED SOCIETIES 15. Liberated Societies 1: A Universal Right to Psychoanalysis and the Antagonistic Society 16. Liberated Societies 2: A Society of Analysts Conclusion: Go, Bid the Soldiers Shoot! BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES. Introduction: The Subject of Liberation I: THE PROBLEM 1. How to Read the Ticklish Subject 2. Leftist Philosophy and Lacan's Theory of Character Structures II: THE SUBJECT, IDEOLOGY, AND PSYCHOANALYSIS 3. The Žižekian Universal Subject 4. Ideology: The Big Other, The Symbolic Mandate, and The Social Superego 5. Freedom and Responsibility: The Liberatory Promise of Lacanian Psychoanalysis III: CONTEMPORARY IDEOLOGIES 6. The Problem of Postmodernity: A Life of Pleasures 7. The Postmodern Social Superego: Reflexive Sadomasochism 8. The Unholy Conspiracy: Postmodern Ideology and (Pseudo-)Fundamentalism IV: GOING THROUGH THE DEADLOCK 9. Antagonism in the Real 10. The Theory of the Four Fundamental Discourses 11. The Deadlock of Lacanian Ethics and the Analytic Moment V: POST-ANALYTIC SUBJECTS 12. The Post-Analytic Subject 1: The Analyst 13. The Post-Analytic Subject 2: The Lover 14. Post-Analytic Philosophies VI: LIBERATED SOCIETIES 15. Liberated Societies 1: A Universal Right to Psychoanalysis and the Antagonistic Society 16. Liberated Societies 2: A Society of Analysts Conclusion: Go, Bid the Soldiers Shoot! BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES