Psychoanalysis, Modernity, Postmodernism: Theorizing for a New Era

The paper develops a polemical and combative critique of psychoanalysis, as theory and as therapy, in terms of the ideas of modernity and postmodernity. The author paints a vivid theoretical fresco of the political deadlocks of our contemporary confessional culture, pitting psychoanalytic against constructivist approaches. An assessment of the dialogue between psychoanalysis and postmodernism is then offered. The author concludes by situating the radical political edge of psychoanalysis in terms of its insights into ethics, cultural difference and the project of human autonomy.