• 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 commented last month, the changing model of marriage is something of a theme amongst French psychoanalysts at present, with the ongoing debate in that country on ‘marriage for all’ reaching – and passing – the parliamentary vote in February. Brousse’s remarks in the video are very pertinent in this context. However, she adds an interesting extension in reference to addiction, placing it on the masculine side of the so-called formulas for sexuation as explicated by Lacan in Seminar XX, Encore. Addiction, she proposes, can be understood as a way of escaping the law, the limit, in place for all subject’s on the left hand (masculine) side of the schema, and which defines desire in reference to prohobition. Addiction, on this reading, therefore becomes a way of resolving the tension Lacan evokes in the two formulas of the upper portion of the schema – between the belief that there is a subject who is not subject to the phallic function, and that all subjects are subject to the phallic function. She contrasts this to the right hand side, the feminine side, where the limits of jouissance cannot clearly be identified. The video – and no doubt the conferene itself – is well worth checking out. At the conference there will also be a panel discussion comprising a ‘Plenary of the A.E.’ (analystes d’école, Analysts of the School) comprised of female analysts who have finished their analysis taking part in a discussion about their experience. More about the conference is on the site at www.miamisymposium2013.org

 

  • With the first article of the law allowing marriage for all (mariage pour tous) passed by the French parliament by 249 For vs 97 Against, the Lacanian community in France has been exercising itself on the ramifications of this decision. As reported last month, Lacan Quotidien is hosting a petition against the misuse of psychoanalysis in the heated debates in France on the subject. In early February, leading Lacanians, including Jacques-Alain Miller, met in Paris to discuss the influence of the vote on new forms of the family and what the responses of analysts should be. Lacan Quotidien has published a collection of papers specifically focused on how the political issue ties into the theme of the next Congress of the NLS on the subject of the Real in the XXIst Century.

 

  • As mentioned in last month’s news, the XIth Congress of the New Lacanian School on ‘The Psychotic Subject in the Geek Era’ is coming up on 18th and 19th May in Athens. Registration for the event is now open, and at a reduced rate for bookings before 28th February. Register here. In January the Congress also set up a blog at www.nlscongress.org

 

  • The EuroFederation of Psychoanalysis’ PIPOL Congress planned for 6th and 7th of July in Brussels has had its registration deadline extended, and the registration fee lowered, to €130 (€60 for students) until 1st April. You can register for the event on the group’s site here.

 

  • The Irish Circle of the Lacanian Orientation organised a seminar on 26th January on ‘Savage Capitalism’. You can watch a video of the presentation by Gustavo Dessal here.

 

  • Birkbeck University’s Department of Psychosocial Studies is offering an MA in Psychoanalysis, History and Culture with an interdisciplinary syllabus and a highly recommended teaching staff. The course brochure, where you can find more, is here.

 

  • A collection of free articles can be found on the Publications section of the site of the Association for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapie in Ireland, APPI. These were updated in January, and amongst them is a copy of the paper that psychoanalyst Alan Rowan gave at a recent talk on the subject of working with psychosis for the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research in London.

 

  • CFAR has also published the latest two editions of its journal, JCFAR. Issue 22 and 23 are on ‘Psychosis’ and ‘Love’ respectively. The site also contains links to freely-available papers in past editions of the Journal. The site’s discussion forum has also been updated in January.

 

  • The London reading group for Seminar VII, The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, will meet again on Saturday 9th February at University of London’s Senate House, Gower Street. All are welcome and the group is free of charge. More information, including dates for forthcoming sessions and references followed up by the group are on Lacanian Works here.

 

  • The London Society of the New Lacanian School hosted a Study Day on ‘The Facets of Jealousy’ on December 15th last year. A report summarising the contributions of the different speakers on the day can be found on the NLS site here.

 

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