Femininity, Desire and Sublimation in Psychoanalysis: From the Melancholic to the Erotic PDF
Preview Femininity, Desire and Sublimation in Psychoanalysis: From the Melancholic to the Erotic
“Elda Abrevaya introduces us to a very interesting journey which starts with a deep analysis of the notion of femininity focusing on a crucial topic little explored: women’s sublimation, sometimes con- sidered a masculine attribution. She develops the concept of early femininity, based on the original mother/child relation and its strong investment in the little girl. Notions such as primary homosexuality, ‘dead mother’, matricide, countertransference in women analysts go through the text enriched with clinical cases as well as with writings of Woolf, Duras, De Beauvoir, Kristeva and others. Following this thread, the author tackles the challenge of provid- ing a metapsychological understanding of sublimation in women as a source of jouissance connected to the resolution of the mother complex. Abrevaya constructs a network that allows mapping the text in differ- ent ways towards a better comprehension of sublimation in women. This conceptual path makes it highly recommended for psychoana- lysts but also for those readers interested in this topic.” Leticia Glocer Fiorini, Training Analyst of the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association; Chair of the “Sexual and Gender Diversity Studies” Committee, IPA “Psychoanalysis embraces a passion for the origins. It is also true when the theorist essays to grasp a question, here the figures of fem- ininity. Elda Abrevaya’s work shows a remarkable psychoanalytic culture, as illustrated by the return to the Freudian source or by the recognition of the vivacity of further debates (M. Klein, Winnicott, Lacan, Laplanche and so on). The axis of the homosexuality mother- daughter, in the history of the subject as well as in the transference, occupies a privileged position. Between theory and the clinic and fol- lowing the analytic treatments of Fatma, Aisha, Andy… a return to the sources that does not impede the author to question the contem- porary challenges and the new conflicts which appear, as in mother- hood or in the issue of gender. The place accorded to sublimation, in opposition to the restric- tive point of view of Freud, notably in reference to writing (Virginia Woolf, Marguerite Duras), concludes with clarity this itinerary full of subtlety of the multiple faces of femininity.” Jacques André, Psychoanalytic Association of France; author, Aux Origines Féminines de la Sexualité Femininity, Desire and Sublimation in Psychoanalysis Femininity, Desire and Sublimation in Psychoanalysis explores female sub- jectivity and examines the complexities inherent in psychoanalytic work realized by women analysts with women. The book includes a critical study of psychoanalytic theories on femi- ninity as well as a reflection on social aspects of gender. Elda Abrevaya envisages different paths to femininity, illustrated in the text with studies of Virginia Woolf and Marguerite Duras, and examines the vicissitudes of the relation of the little girl with the mother, and her crucial challenge, which is separation from the mother, in order to access erotic life and the use of cultural objects. Femininity, Desire and Sublimation in Psychoanalysis also explores the question of sublimation, shedding light on a field that has not been sufficiently explored in terms of female sexuality and female identity. Throughout the book, sublimation in women comes to the fore- front as a source of satisfaction, liberation and participation in public life. The book will be important reading for psychoanalysts and other cli- nicians in the field of mental health as well as academics in the fields of gender studies, literature, philosophy and sociology. Elda Abrevaya is a founding member and a training analyst of the Istan- bul Psychoanalytical Association and member of the Paris Psychoanalytic Society. She has been Professor at the University of Puerto Rico and is co-editor of the book Homosexualities: Psychogenesis, Polymorphism, and Countertransference (Routledge, 2015). Psychoanalytic Ideas and Applications Series IPA Publications Committee Gabriela Legorreta (Montreal), Chair and Series Editor; Dominique Scarfone (Montreal); Catalina Bronstein (London); Lawrence Brown (Boston); Michele Ain (Montevideo); Carlos Moguillanski (Buenos Aires); Udo Hock (Berlin); Christine Kirchhoff (Berlin), Gennaro Saragnano (Rome) Consultant; Rhoda Bawdekar (London), Ex-officio as IPA Publishing Manager; Paul Crake (London), Ex-officio as IPA Executive Director Recent titles in the Series include The Infantile in Psychoanalytic Practice Today Florence Guignard Affect, Representation and Language Between the Silence and the Cry Howard B. Levine Psychosomatics Today A Psychoanalytic Perspective 2nd Edition Marilia Aisenstein and Elsa Rappoport de Aisemberg Femininity, Desire and Sublimation in Psychoanalysis From the Melancholic to the Erotic Elda Abrevaya What Nazism Did to Psychoanalysis Laurence Kahn The Deconstruction of Narcissism and the Function of the Object Explorations in Psychoanalysis René Roussillon Femininity, Desire and Sublimation in Psychoanalysis From the Melancholic to the Erotic Elda Abrevaya Cover image: Getty First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Elda Abrevaya The right of Elda Abrevaya to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-1-032-14080-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-14081-0 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-23226-1 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003232261 Typeset in Palatino LT Std by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. To Sarah, my daughter, and to the memory of Sara Abrevaya, my mother Contents Preface x Series Editor’s foreword xii 1 The mother-complex 1 2 Loss of the object in the young homosexual 8 3 Women analysing women 24 4 The daughter’s crucial challenge: Separation 39 5 Gender, the sexual and the feminine 58 6 The feminine and new conceptions of motherhood 68 7 Femininity, desire and sublimation 77 8 The mother, trauma and writing 88 9 The sexual and sublimation 101 10 The object in Lacan and in Winnicott 107 11 Psychoanalytic writing and the unknown 113 Index 119
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