Tearing at Myself: Interview with Judith Butler (part I)

In our eighth episode, the philosopher Amy Allen walks us through the dangerous and thrilling intersection between contemporary psychoanalysis and social thought. She leads us to the often forgotten bond between the Frankfurt School and the psychoanalytic tradition, the value of Melanie Klein's theory of ambivalence to thinking about our social being in the world, all the way to the urgent need to conduct today what she calls "a politics in a depressive mode." Allen boldly faces the perils of translating psychoanalytic concepts into the social realm, and thinks with us about social life in the state of isolation the pandemic has brought upon us. Tune in for another fascinating conversation!     cover art by Mike Chai  music: https://www.fesliyanstudios.com        

In this episode, we excitingly continue our conversation with the renowned Judith Butler. She takes us through her objection to the so-called opposition between surface reading and the hermeneutics of suspicion, describes what she calls “the relational move,” and animates for us her pedagogical approach for teaching psychoanalysis in the academic classroom. It was such a joy for us; hopefully, it would be for you too. This episode was produced independently of institutional support cover art by Vlado Paunovic music: https://www.fesliyanstudios.com

In this episode we host the renowned philosopher, Judith Butler. She has been invested in psychoanalytic thought from early on in her career, but this dialogue received little attention. In this episode, Butler openly talks about her initial encounter with psychoanalysis as a queer teenager tearing at her own skin, and reveals the source of her ongoing, complex relations with Melanie Klein's writings, to which she lately returned with great force. This conversation spills over to the next episode (to be released soon), where Butler shares her thoughts about surface reading, affect theory, and what she calls "the relational move." Join us!  This episode was produced independently of institutional support cover art by Kristina Nor        music: https://www.fesliyanstudios.com                 

What does it mean to write literature as an analyst? And how would an analyst lead a literature class? Emma Lieber, who occupies the position of the literary scholar and the analyst simultaneously, shares her experience in writing the autotheoretical The Writing Cure, explains why the proper home of psychoanalysis is in the humanities, and wonders whether it was her students’ dream diaries that helped her bring to life virtual learning. Above all, she insists, psychoanalysis demonstrates that the “literary genius is at work in you.”

In our fourth episode, the one and only Jane Gallop takes us painfully near to the beating heart of vulnerability, as she tells us about her (and her writings’) consistent marking as narcissistic, about her ongoing yet conflicting loyalty to psychoanalysis, which she wears “like old clothes”, about her bold decision to “never write a book again” (hopefully she’ll renege on that promise), and her current commitment to do nothing less than maximize her pleasure.

The innovative psychoanalyst and thinker, Patricia Gherovici, takes us through her work on transgender psychoanalysis, tracing its roots to the Argentinian Lacanian tradition (2:01) and to “pink Freud” (6:06). She brazenly criticizes psychoanalysis’ reception in the US as a profit-oriented business (4:13), and the view of transgender transformation as a consumeristic choice (22:53), insisting instead that gender change is a question of life and death (20:58). Want to hear more about trans memoire (23:55), psychoanalytic sexology (12:38), and our bodies of multitude? As Gherovici asks, “indulge me with your listening.” Cover art by: Belle_Co  Music: Too Crazy - Felisyanstudios.com  Editor: Dr. Buzi Raviv, BGU Radio Find out more at https://psychoanaliterature.pinecast.co

In this episode, the celebrated author, Maggie Nelson, shares her personal history with psychoanalysis, from Eve Kosofsky Segwick's unforgettable class on non-oedipal models of psychology, through her formative encounter with Shoshana Felman's reading of transference, all the way to her thoughts about anal sex and queer family romance. It's a blast!  Edited by: Dr. Buzi Raviv (BGU Radio) and Noam Segalovitz Music: Felisyanstudios.com Find out more at https://psychoanaliterature.pinecast.co

Episode Notes Benjamin Ogden speaks about his most recent book, Beyond Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism, and about his joint attempt with his father to revitalize and rethink psychoanalytic literary interpretation. Ben walks the listeners through his childhood house, built around psychoanalysis, and raises intriguing questions about what is means to listen to literature with the right ear. This podcast, hosted by Prof. Anneleen Masschelein and Dr. Yael Segalovitz, was produced for the course Psychoanalysis and Creativity: Anglo-American Culture Today, taught as a collaboration between Ben Gurion University in Israel and KU Leuven in Belgium. Enjoy Music: Felisyanstudio.com Edited by: Dr. Buzi Raviv, BGU Radio