May marked the publication of the official publication of Lacan’s Seminar VI, Desire and its Interpretation, under the editorship of Jacques-Alain Miller. Since Miller’s split from Seuil, the previous publishers of Lacan’s work, in 2011, Seminar VI is the first of Lacan’s seminars to appear under the new publishers, Editions de la Martinière. Although the work is currently only available in

  With the DSM-V, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due to be published on 22nd May, opposition and concern has been expressed throughout April from all corners of the psy- field (summary here). Whilst Lacanian opposition to the DSM is well-known and well-documented, many other high-profile professionals and institutions have lined up to register their protest. The

  Vancouver-based Lacan Salon updated its site in March with the remaining schedule of reading groups for 2013. You can also find details on their site of their annual conference, LaConference, which is coming up in June and featuring Paul Verhaeghe as guest speaker. As many will be aware, Verhaeghe is the author of a number of truly excellent books

  Jacques-Alain Miller has recently announced the creation of the International Lacanian Institute (LILI) as the international extension of the Lacan Institute based in Paris. The seven-point declaration announcing this news is worth quoting in full, as it contains news of some surprising but welcome developments: 1. The International Lacanian Institute (LILI) has been created. It is to be the

  Marie-Hélène Brousse is one of the guest speakers at the What Lacan Knew about Women conference being held in Miami from 31st May-2nd June. In this video she gives a preview of her remarks on the subject of Lacan’s theory of femininity in connection with changing model of marriage, as reflected particularly in the US drama ‘The Good Wife’. As

  A slightly late recap of the latest news from the Lacanian world in December due to problems with the site. Thanks to all who got in touch – improvements coming shortly. In the debate about marriage for all currently underway in France, some opposed to the French government’s bill have appealed to psychoanalysis to justify their opposition. In response,

The death of psychoanalyst Thomas Szasz was announced in September. Szasz is best known for being at the forefront of the anti-psychiatry movement, most notably with 1961′s The Myth of Mental Illness. Lacan refers to Szasz’s work several times in Seminar X (sessions of 30th January 1963 and 27th February 1963) and Seminar XI (sessions of 15th, 22nd and 29th April

With Lacan Quotidien, the daily Lacanian newsletter, taking a break for the summer to resume in September, news from France has been somewhat scattered. This hiatus does however present the opportunity to catch-up on some recent translations into English of the service’s output. Amongst those worth checking out are two from former World Association of Psychoanalysis president Eric Laurent, ‘DSM Madness

CFAR’s annual conference  took place here in London on 23rd June with the title ‘Bipolar or Manic Depressive? Lacanian Perspectives’. Amidst contributions from an array of speakers, one common theme was the lack of clarity of the distinction between the various disturbances classed amongst the overall category of affective disorders. Psychiatrist Furham Iqbal, the first speaker, pointed to the constant

May began with the sad news of the death of Jean Laplanche, one of Lacan’s former pupils and a great psychoanalyst in his own right. He is perhaps best known as co-author with J.-B. Pontalis of the monumental The Language of Psychoanalysis, one of the must-have reference works in the psychoanalytical canon. There have been plenty of obituaries written since his