The Palgrave Lacan Series

In this book, Thomas Svolos tests the claim that a practicing psychoanalyst is afforded a unique perspective on issues of politics, social and cultural affairs, trained, as they are, to look out for that which is not readily transparent to a patient. This might be something opaque, something bizarre even, something that is part of the experience of the patient that they are not conscious of, what Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan called, at different points in their work, desire, libido, or, jouissance. It argues that by taking account, in one way or another, of desire, libido and jouissance, we might find another dimension to political, social and cultural matters, a dimension that is present, but generally opaque, to those who deal with them.

In a series of original texts and edited dialogues, brought together for the first time, this lively and accessible work offers novel insights on topics ranging from race, climate change and partisan politics, to science fiction and Bruce Springsteen. It will appeal to students, scholars and those with a general interest in psychoanalysis, politics, cultural studies and critical theory.

This companion to Lacan’s Seminar VI guides readers through an examination of desire, fantasy, dream interpretation, death, object a, and the signifier of the lack in the Other as they are elaborated by Lacan. Bruce Fink draws on his extensive experience as a practicing analyst and as a leading translator of Lacan’s work (including Seminar VI), in this highly accessible exploration which includes both close textual analysis and illustrative clinical vignettes.

Seminar VI, Desire and Its Interpretation, and Fink’s discussion of it here constitute a timely intervention for clinicians, for whom an engagement with desire is pivotal to the direction of the treatment, and for students and scholars interested in philosophy, sociology, anthropology, comparative literature, art, film, and social and political theory, for whom desire, fantasy, and object a may be useful conceptual tools.

Combining rigorous analysis and a clear writing style, this guide provides an invaluable new resource.

Nostalgia, Fantasy, and the Futures of Masculinity explores how nostalgia-driven fantasies shape contemporary masculinity and capitalist culture, and how these dynamics constrain our ability to imagine new futures. Drawing on Lacanian psychoanalysis, cultural theory, and media studies, Timothy Richardson examines the ideological and affective structures that link masculinity to mythic pasts and deferred promises of progress.

Through case studies of music archives, fan cultures, and iconic films such as Blade Runner 2049, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Ex Machina, the book reveals how popular media recycles familiar tropes to sustain capitalist discourse and masculine ideals. Richardson argues that these nostalgic scripts not only naturalize gender norms but also perpetuate cycles of consumption and stasis, even as they promise novelty.

Foregrounding Lacanian concepts of fantasy, desire, and the capitalist discourse, this monograph offers a critical intervention into debates on gender, temporality, and ideology. It combines rigorous theoretical analysis with accessible prose, making it essential reading for scholars and advanced students in psychoanalytic theory, cultural studies, gender studies, and media studies.