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In this article I map a set of points that could begin to tell the story of inertia's trajectory from physics and physiology to figurations of psychic life in Freudian psychoanalytic theory. Both preceding and contemporaneous with Freud's use of the concept of inertia to describe an element of psychic life, work was taking place in other intellectual and geographical contexts to translate this law of physics and physiology to a property of mental life. As a particular illustration of this, I examine a lecture given by British scientist Michael Faraday in 1818, wherein he makes the leap from the inertia of matter to 'mental inertia' and is arguably the first recorded thinker to do so in the English language. I then explore the use of the phrase 'psychic inertia' in 1900 by Scottish physiologist D.F. Harris and argue that Harris's work is not only emerging at the same time as Freud's discoveries, but that he prefigures Freud's ideas about the relationship between inertia and the death drive in interesting ways. The final part of the paper returns to sketch out Freud's engagement with the concept in several of his papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine" critically examines the use of psychology and psychotherapy by the Israeli settler colonial state as tools of oppression against Palestinians. The authors argue that these practices perpetuate Orientalist ideologies and pathologize Palestinian experiences. They also critique the human rights discourse and highlight the challenges faced by Palestinian clinicians. While the authors' anti-Zionist stance is commendable, the concept of a unified and autonomous Palestinian self is questioned, emphasizing the complexity of subjectivity and the limitations of psychoanalysis in achieving liberation and justice. The text discusses the relationship between psychoanalysis, Marxism, and the Palestinian struggle for liberation, and calls for a serious engagement with theory for Palestine. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses Steven Groarke's book on the Independent tradition in British and American psychoanalysis. The book explores the ontological foundations of psychoanalysis and argues for a perspective on human existence centered around the "reach for life" or the "pressure for more life." It reframes the Independent tradition by highlighting the importance of human connection, dependence, and care. The book also emphasizes the role of action and love in psychoanalysis and combines psychoanalytic and phenomenological theories. While Groarke's work offers a unique interpretation, the article raises concerns about the exclusion of feminist, queer, and postcolonial perspectives and the limitations of an ontological approach. [Extracted from the article]

Alicia Valdés's book, "Toward a Feminist Lacanian Left: Psychoanalytic Theory and Intersectional Politics," explores the intersection of Lacanian psychoanalysis and intersectional feminism. Valdés argues that a Lacanian approach can provide valuable insights into the unequal distribution of political subjectivities across various lines of identity and privilege. She introduces the concept of "sexual position" as a new variable in understanding political processes, challenging traditional notions of gender and sexuality. However, the reviewer raises concerns about Valdés's interpretation of Lacan and Marxism, suggesting that her approach may overlook the importance of subjectivity and collective struggle in political change. [Extracted from the article]

Since the publication in 2021 of the first version of Freud's Moses and Monotheism written in 1934, it is possible to reconstruct the genesis of the book as it was published in 1939, and to compare the two versions. The present article aims to contribute to this effort. It first presents a critical discussion of the reconstructions provided by Grubrich-Simitis and Gindele & Fagard. Then the hypothesis is elaborated that in the Moses project one can detect a shift from a study of the positive traits of the Jewish character (self-esteem, intellectuality) towards a study dominated by the problem of the significance of trauma for the formation of a people and their religion, the theoretical reflections on the interaction between constitutional and accidental factors in the aetiology of pathological formations, and the development of a theory of the murder of Moses as traumatic experience within the framework of a psychoanalytic theory of sexual trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allow me one more conceptual riff to underline this unthought dimension of psychoanalysis: Lacan's concept of the "inter-dit" (1998, p. 119) - a pun on betweenness, diction and prohibition - can help locate blackness as an "impossible knowledge" (1998, p. 119) that persists inter-dicted and goes "unsaid [but nevertheless] dwells in the holes of discourse" (2006, p. 253) where it "doesn't stop [...] being written" (1998, p. 59) as that which is I desired to not be desired i . This radically Other world is, moreover, the "socio-Symbolic matrix of laws and social ideals" (George and Hook, p. 47) that constitutively transfix - through fantasy - our unconscious desire upon the enigmatic "thing" that the Other supposedly lacks and hence desires. And it is precisely this thesis that, Seshadri suggests, the contributors to I Lacan and Race i thoroughly affirm. As the contributors to I Lacan and Race i variously outline, race is a psychic reality that mediates both social relations and access to a sense of being through and against bodily flesh. [Extracted from the article]

As a psychoanalytic psychotherapist working amongst deprived populations traditionally denied access to psychoanalysis, I can attest to the fact that this work is a lonely business. However, reading Mukherjee's critical reflections, which pivot around erudite readings of narrative non-fiction in Mumbai and pioneering fieldwork amongst free clinics in India, I was reminded how much work remains to be done. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses Pierre-Henri Castel's book, "Mais pourquoi psychoanalyser les enfants? Un ritual thérapeutique dans les sociétés modernes," which challenges the common perception of psychoanalysis as an intellectual and individualistic practice. Castel argues that the psychoanalytic cure should be seen as a therapeutic ritual that helps individuals in distress by evoking the norms and values of society. He compares the cure to a healing ritual observed among the Wolof people, highlighting the differences in societal responses to misfortune. Castel also explores the role of psychoanalytic theories in the cure and the practice of remembrance. The article acknowledges the tension between the anthropological and psychoanalytic perspectives presented in the book and suggests that Castel's work offers a more balanced understanding of the psychoanalytic practice. [Extracted from the article]

Anna Borgos's book, "Women in the Budapest School of Psychoanalysis: Girls of Tomorrow," sheds light on the little-known Hungarian female psychoanalysts who played a significant role in the early stages of the Freudian movement. Borgos skillfully places their stories within the broader context of the social, political, and cultural transformations of early twentieth-century Hungary and Europe. The book explores the intersection of psychoanalysis, femininity, and Jewishness, providing detailed biographies of these women and examining their contributions to psychoanalytic theory and practice. It also delves into the impact of the changing political climate on their lives and discusses issues such as gender roles, Jewish emancipation, and female emancipation in religion. This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in women's and gender studies, Jewish studies, and the history of psychoanalysis. [Extracted from the article]

Where Mills is, we cannot be sure, but perhaps this connection to Freud was the point, Mills positioning himself as a defender of the origins of psychoanalysis and its founder himself. Mills then responds to these critiques and includes a subsequent interview of himself conducted by Tracy D. Morgan and another chapter written by him that offers "New directions in theory and praxis" for relational psychoanalysis. [Extracted from the article]

The Swiss psychoanalyst Fritz Morgenthaler (1919–84) is well known in German-speaking psychoanalysis as an early exponent of Heinz Kohut's self psychology, as an ethnopsychoanalytic researcher and as an original thinker on the topics of dreams, psychoanalytic technique and especially on sexuality (perversions, heterosexuality, homosexuality). In 1980, he presented the first psychoanalytic conception of homosexuality in the German-speaking world that did not view homosexuality in terms of deviance or pathology. His theory of 'junction points' (Weichenstellungen) postulates three decisive moments in the development of homosexuality: a prioritized cathexis of autoeroticism in narcissistic development, a Janus-facedness of homosexual desire as an outcome of the Oedipal complex and the coming out in puberty. According to Morgenthaler, this development can result in non-neurotic or neurotic homosexuality. Less known than the theory of junction points and to some degree even concealed by himself (his earlier texts appeared later on in corrected versions) are Morgenthaler's pre-1980 accounts of homosexuality which deserve to be called homophobic. Starting with a discussion of this early work, the article outlines Morgenthaler's theoretical development with special focus on his theory of junction points and how this theory was taken up in psychoanalytic theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a collection of 29 letters, 27 from Wilfred Bion to John Rickman, one addressed to Mrs Rickman and one from Rickman to Bion. These letters have been fully transcribed, annotated and published for the first time and offer a rare glimpse into the blossoming relationship between the two men and the gradual emergence of Bion's intellect through his work in War Office Selection Boards (WOSBs), the Northfield Military hospital and the exploratory groups at the Tavistock Clinic.Through this material it becomes evident that Bion's fascination with the work undertaken at WOSBs had more to do with the social ramifications of the principles and ideology applied there rather than with particular techniques per se, such as 'leaderless groups'. Furthermore, the reader becomes witness to Rickman's profound influence on Bion's analytic work and in cultivating his interest in therapeutic institutions, ultimately leading to their groundbreaking work at Northfield Military hospital. While Bion's descriptions of his post-war group work at the Tavistock Clinic offer the first signs of his unique theory and technique on the exploration of group dynamics. The continuation of their correspondence until Rickman's untimely death is a testament to their strong collegial and personal relationship which transcended analytical work and other professional engagements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]