Jacques Lacan (1901-81) was one of the most original and controversial thinkers of the post-war period. His ideas had a profound effect on the intellectual movements of his time and his work is of continuing importance to a wide range of disciplines: psychoanalytic theory and practice, literary criticism, critical social theory, linguistics, cinema, art criticism and political science. Lacan's ideas can, however, be notoriously difficult: convoluted, idiosyncratic, arcane, and almost always obscure! A Compendium of Lacanian Terms provides students of Lacan with a clear and helpful exposition on some 40 key terms. Each entry outlines the conceptualization of the idea, locating it within Lacanian discourse, and the evolution of the term within the development of Lacan's ideas. A list of references is provided at the end of each entry. The editors' brief essay-like descriptions of key Lacanian terms are a superb idea, much needed in both academic and clinical arenas of psychoanalytic world. - Choice - Jan 2002

Written to introduce students to Lacan, this volume covers 35 concepts, including aggressivity, alienation and separation, autism and childhood psychosis, body, castration, the cut, desire, discourse, foreclosure, the gaze, ideal ego, the imaginary, mirror stage, name- of-the-father, phallus, psychosis, the real, schema, signifier, subject, symbolic, and treatment. "Each entry...outlines the conceptualization of the idea, locating it within Lacanian discourse, its evolution in the development of his ideas and its interrelatedness with other concepts" (from the Preface). Entries have also been cross-referenced. Contributors include psychoanalysts, philosophers, psychologists, and psychiatrists from Australia and Europe. Distributed by ISBS. c. Book News Inc.

Many first-time readers of Jacques Lacan come to his work via psychology, a discipline that Lacan was notoriously antagonistic toward. Six Moments in Lacan takes up the dual challenge of introducing Lacanian psychoanalysis to an audience interested in psychology, while also stressing the fundamental differences between the two disciplines. Punctuated by lively examples, Six Moments in Lacan demonstrates the distinctive value of Lacanian concepts in approaching afresh topics such as communication, identity, otherness and inter-subjectivity. Avoiding the jargon and wilful obscurity that so often accompanies expositions of Lacan’s psychoanalytic theories, this book puts Lacanian ideas to work in practical and illuminating ways. A handful of concepts, draw from distinct moments in Lacan’s teaching, are contextualized and explained, and applied to the task of exploring the ‘psychological’ and unconscious dimensions of everyday life. Notions such as the ‘big Other’, ‘full’ versus ‘empty’ speech, logical time, ‘imaginary’ and ‘symbolic’ identification, and the idea of ‘the master signifier’ are brought to life via popular cultural references. Revitalizing several Freudian and Lacanian concepts for everyday use, Six Moments in Lacan asks – and answers – a series of compelling questions: Why is it that each instance of speech implies a listener? Why is the notion of subjectivity inadequate when it comes to the ‘trans-subjective’ nature of language? Is it possible to elaborate a ‘non-psychological’ theory of identification? Why is a Lacanian approach to ‘the subject’ so at odds with models proposed by psychology? Six Moments in Lacan provides an accessible and highly engaging introduction to Lacan and Lacanian psychoanalysis, aimed at early practitioners and students in psychoanalysis, psychotherapy and those studying upper undergraduate and postgraduate level psychology.

This collection of specially commissioned essays, first published in 2003, explores key dimensions of Lacan's life and works.

This text explores a set of key concepts in Marxist theory as developed and read by Lacan, demonstrating links and connections between Marxist thought and Lacanian practice. The book examines the complexity of these encounters through the structure of a comprehensive vocabulary which covers diverse areas, from capitalism and communism to history, ideology, politics, work, and family. Offering new perspectives on these concepts in psychoanalysis, as well as in the fields of political and critical theory, the book brings together contributions from a range of international experts to demonstrate the dynamic relationship between Marx and Lacan, as well as illuminating "untranslatable points" which may offer productive tension between the two. The entries trace the trajectory of Lacan’s appropriation of Marx’s concepts and analyses how they were questioned, criticized, and reworked by Lacan, accounting for the wide reach of two thinkers and worlds in constant homology. Each entry also discusses psychoanalytic debates relating to the concept and seeks to refine the clinical scope of Marx’s work, demonstrating its impact on the social and individual dimensions of Lacanian clinical practice. With a practical and structured approach, The Marx through Lacan Vocabulary will appeal to psychoanalysts and researchers in a range of fields, including political science, cultural studies, and philosophy.

A charismatic and controversial figure, Lacan is one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century and his work has revolutionized a range of fields. The volume aims to introduce Lacan’s vast opus to the field of international politics in a coherent and approachable manner. The volume is split into three distinct sections: Psychoanalysis and Politics: this section will frame the discussion by providing general background of Lacan’s engagement with politics and the political Lacan and the Political: each chapter will focus on different key ideas and concepts in Lacan’s thought including ethics, justice, discourse, object a, symptom, jouissance Political Encounters: seeks to represent different ways of engaging with Lacanian thought and ways of adopting it to explain and comment on global political phenomena Bringing together internationally recognised scholars in the field, this volume will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars in areas including critical theory, international relations, political theory and political philosophy.

Generation is both an introduction to and a comparative study of contemporary psychoanalytic clinical theory. It provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of how new ways of thinking about the psychoanalytic process have evolved and are still in development today. Jean White presents a detailed study of contemporary Independent, Lacanian and post-Kleinian theory, set within the wider context of the international expansion of psychoanalysis. Contemporary clinical practice is discussed in relation to concepts of psychopathology, transference and countertransference and innovations in technique. Each school’s explicit and implicit models of psychic growth and their view of the aims of the psychoanalytic process are explored. Written in clear, accessible language and interwoven throughout with clinical vignettes, Generation provides an invaluable initiation into the work of notoriously difficult authors such as Lacan and Bion. This stimulating presentation of contemporary psychoanalytic theory will be of great interest to psychoanalytic psychotherapists, psychodynamic counsellors and psychoanalysts of all theoretical orientations.