Orion Anderson writes:

"Psychoanalysis and Democracy" Conference

New York City, October 15–17, 2004

Recent debates about democracy, and current events on a global scale, call for a re-examination of the basic concepts that lie at the intersection between psychoanalysis and democracy today, from notions of citizenship, human rights, and justice, to practices of punishment, freedom, equal representation, and other political "technologies of the self." How might psychoanalysis help to address the social questions that challenge or reconfigure democratic culture today? What does psychoanalysis have to say about citizenship and subjectivity in the world today?

The Association for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society (APCS) is holding its annual conference at the Union Theological Seminary of Columbia University. The theme of this year's conference is: PSYCHOANALYSIS AND DEMOCRACY.

The conference will take place on October 15-17, 2004, just prior to the American presidential election. The aim of the conference is to explore how psychoanalysis might help to address some of the major issues facing democratic institutions and ideals, both in the United States and at a more broadly global level.CALL FOR PAPERS

There is still time to present a paper or panel at the exciting conference of the Association for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society (APCS) coming up at COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York City on October 15-17, 2004.

Conference Theme: PSYCHOANALYSIS AND DEMOCRACY.
Please send your proposal now (as an abstract of not more than 300 words) to:
psychodemocracy@earthlink.net

Possible Topics May Include:

the subject of democracy

psychoanalysis and the politics of identity

democracy and sexuality

historical transmissions of trauma

witnessing in psychoanalysis and politics

abject citizens: exiles, immigrants, prisoners, the disenfranchised

queer democracy

institutions of mourning in politics and psychoanalysis

citizenship and subjectivity

punishment, reparation, and historical memory, freedom of speech

biotechnology and the subject

institutions of traumatic memory: the Truth Commission, the Supreme Court, The Hague, the war memorial

perversions of democracy

psychoanalysis and human rights

formations of guilt in politics and in psychoanalysis

the nation/state as case study: Haiti, Chile, Argentina, Bosnia, Texas, California, South Africa

Panel proposals are especially welcome. Send panel proposals, and individual paper proposals, including: (1) title, (2) abstracts (not to exceed 300 words), and (3) the name and affiliation of each speaker to: Professor Charles Shepherdson, Department of English, State University of New York, Albany NY 12222. psychodemocracy@earthlink.net