Difference between revisions of "Enjoyment as a Category of Political Theory"

From No Subject - Encyclopedia of Psychoanalysis
Jump to: navigation, search
m
Line 1: Line 1:
 
 
==Introduction==
 
==Introduction==
  
Line 8: Line 7:
 
Throughout his [[Slavoj Žižek:Books|work]], [[Žižek]] draws out the workings of [[enjoyment]] (what [[Jacques Lacan]] calls ''[[jouissance]]'') in [[racism|racist]] and [[racism|ethnic]] [[ideology|ideological]] [[fantasy|fantasies]], in [[socialism]]'s [[bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] [[excess]]es, and in the [[cynicism]] of the [[narcissism|narcissistic]] [[subject]]s of [[capitalism|late capitalism]].
 
Throughout his [[Slavoj Žižek:Books|work]], [[Žižek]] draws out the workings of [[enjoyment]] (what [[Jacques Lacan]] calls ''[[jouissance]]'') in [[racism|racist]] and [[racism|ethnic]] [[ideology|ideological]] [[fantasy|fantasies]], in [[socialism]]'s [[bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] [[excess]]es, and in the [[cynicism]] of the [[narcissism|narcissistic]] [[subject]]s of [[capitalism|late capitalism]].
  
 
+
[[Žižek]] frequently invokves the seemingly nonsensical ceremonies and redundancies that accompany political institutions.
  
 
<blockquote>"Our politics is more and more directly the politics of ''jouissance'', concerned with ways of soliciting, or controlling and regulating, ''jouissance''."<ref>{{Z}} ''[[The Parallax View]]''. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2006. p. 309</ref></blockquote>
 
<blockquote>"Our politics is more and more directly the politics of ''jouissance'', concerned with ways of soliciting, or controlling and regulating, ''jouissance''."<ref>{{Z}} ''[[The Parallax View]]''. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2006. p. 309</ref></blockquote>
  
  
 
+
In this chapter [[Dean]] introduces the category of [[enjoyment]] as the key to understanding [[Žižek]]'s [[Slavoj Žižek:Politics|political thought]].
  
  

Revision as of 21:42, 22 September 2006

Introduction

"All politics relies upon, and even manipulates, a certain economy of enjoyment."[1]


Throughout his work, Žižek draws out the workings of enjoyment (what Jacques Lacan calls jouissance) in racist and ethnic ideological fantasies, in socialism's bureaucratic excesses, and in the cynicism of the narcissistic subjects of late capitalism.

Žižek frequently invokves the seemingly nonsensical ceremonies and redundancies that accompany political institutions.

"Our politics is more and more directly the politics of jouissance, concerned with ways of soliciting, or controlling and regulating, jouissance."[2]


In this chapter Dean introduces the category of enjoyment as the key to understanding Žižek's political thought.

  1. Slavoj Žižek and Glyn Daly. Conversations with Žižek. Cambridge, U.K.: Polity, 2004. p. 114
  2. Žižek, Slavoj. The Parallax View. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2006. p. 309