New Lacanian School

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New Lacanian School (NLS)
Organization details
TypeTransnational Psychoanalytic School
Founded2003
Founder(s)WAP Council, Jacques-Alain Miller
Key figuresAlexandre Stevens, Yves Vanderveken
OrientationLacanian psychoanalysis
Institutional context
PredecessorEuropean School of Psychoanalysis
AffiliationWorld Association of Psychoanalysis (WAP)
Relation to IPANone
Operations
HeadquartersGeneva, Switzerland (Registered); Decentralized operations
Geographic scopeUK, USA, Switzerland, Belgium, Greece, Israel, Eastern Europe
Training functionSeminars, Clinical supervision, The Pass
PublicationsThe Lacanian Review
Websiteamp-nls.org


The New Lacanian School (NLS; French: Nouvelle École Lacanienne) is a psychoanalytic society and training institute dedicated to the transmission of Jacques Lacan's teaching. Founded in 2003, it is one of the seven schools that comprise the World Association of Psychoanalysis (WAP) and is a member of the Euro-Federation of Psychoanalysis (EFP).[1]

Distinct from national schools like the École de la Cause freudienne (France) or the Escuela de la Orientación Lacaniana (Argentina), the NLS is a transnational organization. It serves as the primary institutional framework for Lacanian analysts in countries without a specific national school, operating primarily in English, Dutch, Greek, and various Eastern European languages. Its geographic scope includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Israel, Greece, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the United States, and Australia.[2]

History

Origins

The institutional roots of the NLS lie in the expansion of the "Freudian Field" (Champ freudien) beyond the Francophone and Hispanophone worlds in the 1980s and 1990s. Following the dissolution of the École Freudienne de Paris in 1980 and the subsequent formation of the École de la Cause freudienne (ECF) in 1981, Lacanian psychoanalysis began to organize internationally under the leadership of Jacques-Alain Miller.

Before the NLS, various study groups and "initiatives" existed across Europe. The immediate precursor was the European School of Psychoanalysis (ESP), an earlier federative structure.

Founding (2003)

The NLS was formally established in 2003 by the Council of the World Association of Psychoanalysis, with Jacques-Alain Miller as a central founding figure.[3] Its creation responded to the need for a unified training structure for English-speaking analysts and scattered European groups that lacked the critical mass to form independent national schools.

Unlike the ECF, which emerged from the split of 1964 and the "Founding Act," the NLS was created as a "School of the One," intended to unify diverse linguistic and cultural groups under a single orientation—the "Orientation Lacanienne" (Lacanian Orientation).

Organizational Structure

The NLS operates on a federal model, grouping together distinct societies and initiatives while maintaining a centralized governance structure aligned with the WAP.

Governance

  • Executive Committee: The school is managed by an Executive Committee appointed by the President of the WAP for a two-year term. The committee typically consists of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
    • Current President (2024–2026): Patricia Bosquin-Caroz.[4]
    • Past Presidents: Daniel Roy, Bernard Seynhaeve, Lilia Mahjoub, Anne Lysy.
  • The Council: An advisory body composed of the presidents of the affiliated societies (e.g., the London Society, ASREEP).
  • Eastern European Secretariat: A specific body dedicated to coordinating training and transmission in Eastern European countries (Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia).

Affiliated Societies and Groups

The NLS is composed of local societies that organize clinical seminars and study days. These include:

Training and Formation

The NLS does not follow a university-style curriculum or issue state-recognized diplomas. Instead, it follows the specific device of training established by Lacan, focusing on the analysis of the practitioner.

The Cartel

The NLS relies heavily on the cartel, a small working group format introduced by Lacan in 1964. A cartel consists of four members (plus a "Plus-One" responsible for the group's operation) who work on a specific clinical or theoretical theme for a limited time (usually one to two years).[5]

The Pass (La Passe)

The core of the school's training qualification is the Pass (la passe), a procedure designed to verify the "end of analysis" and the transformation of an analysand into an analyst.

  • Analyst of the School (AE): A title granted to those who have successfully traversed the Pass. AEs are expected to transmit their experience to the school through testimonies over a three-year term.
  • Member of the School (AMS): "Analyst Member of the School" (Analyste Membre de l'École). This title guarantees the practitioner's formation and clinical experience but does not require the Pass.

Congresses

The NLS holds an annual International Congress, which rotates between European cities (e.g., London, Ghent, Geneva, Tel Aviv). These congresses are major events for the transmission of the Lacanian orientation in English.[6]

Key Concepts and Theoretical Orientation

The NLS is strictly "Millerian" in its orientation, following the reading of Lacan elaborated by Jacques-Alain Miller. Key theoretical emphases include:

  • The Late Lacan (the teaching of the 1970s), particularly the concepts of the Sinthome and the Real.
  • The "Speaking Body" (Parlêtre).
  • A clinical focus on contemporary symptoms (e.g., "ordinary psychosis," addictions, gender identity).

Publications

The NLS publishes significant theoretical works in English, serving as the primary bridge for Francophone Lacanian thought into the Anglosphere.

  • The Lacanian Review (TLR): The official Anglophone journal of the NLS and WAP. It was launched in 2016, replacing the previous journal Hurly-Burly.[7]
  • Lacanian Review Online (LRO): A digital platform for rapid publication of short texts and political/institutional commentary.
  • Local publications include The Lacanian Compass Express (USA) and 4+one (London).

Notable Members

See Also

References

  1. ↑ "The New Lacanian School", World Association of Psychoanalysis. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  2. ↑ Mahjoub, Lilia. "The School". Houston Freudian Field Library.
  3. ↑ Stevens, A. (2003). "The Founding of the NLS". Hurly-Burly, Issue 1.
  4. ↑ "The Executive Committee 2024–2026". NLS Official Website.
  5. ↑ Lacan, J. (1964). "Founding Act".
  6. ↑ "NLS XXII International Congress 2024", Lacan Circle of Australia.
  7. ↑ "The Lacanian Review released its first issue". LacanOnline.com.
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