Introduction: Lacanian praxis and social intervention

Abstract

Jacques Lacan’s pronouncement that psychoanalysis is a praxis extends the relevance of psychoanalytic thinking and practice far beyond the confines of the clinic into the realm of the political. This introduction to the special issue on “Lacanian Psychoanalysis: Interventions into Culture and Politics” highlights a series of crucial Lacanian concepts and interventions within the political. Key concepts for a Lacanian social and political theory touched upon here include the notions of the act; the gaze; the lamella; jouissance; object petit a; and the sinthome. Crucial domains of political struggle and intervention addressed include the areas of race and racism (inclusive of questions of African American history and identity); the Trans movement; the ongoing political relevance of Frantz Fanon; and the re-conceptualization of post-traumatic forms of political subjectivity.