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Louvain/Paris/New York, 20th of February 2010
Dear Colleagues,
Two years ago we founded “The International Society for Psychoanalysis and Philosophy” / « Société internationale de psychanalyse et de philosophie » , at the conference that took place in Leuven and Paris (in March 2008). The theme of the conference was ‘Philosophical critiques of the psychoanalytical concept of sexuality’ (Louvain) and ‘La philosophie au risque de la psychanalyse’ (Paris VII-Diderot). We would like to inform you about what was decided upon and on what was realised in the meantime.
We decided in Paris that the theme of our second conference would be: “Psychoanalysis, Tragedy, Politics”/ « Psychanalyse, tragédie, politique ». The representatives of Boston College, who were present in Leuven and Paris, generously proposed to organize and host this conference. The conference took place from October 25th to October 28th 2009 and it was a success. Our colleagues from Boston College did a wonderful job. We want to thank them once again for the organisation, and most particularly we want to thank Jeff Bloechl, who also directed the conference. The Boston meeting was without a doubt crucial for the future of our society.
“Psychoanalyses, Tragedy, Politics”/ « Psychanalyse, tragédie, politique » brought philosophers who are also psychoanalysts and philosophers with a strong interest in psychoanalysis together. The participants came from over 10 different countries (from Europe, Latin America and the United States) and they represented a plurality of psychoanalytic approaches – which is in complete agreement with the aim of our society. You can find the program of this conference on our website (www.sipp-ispp.net). The proceedings of the previous conferences will be published in 2010. “Philosophical critiques of the psychoanalytical concept of sexuality”, “Psychoanalysis, Tragedy, Politics” will be published by Louvain University Press, and «Psychanalyse et philosophie, des liaisons dangereuses?» by Campagne première.
The next conference of the ISPP will take place at the University of Sao Paolo during the last week of November. The theme will be ‘The Status of Clinical Categories in Psychoanalytic Thinking’. Richard Semanke, Christian Dunker, Claudio Oliveira and Vladimir Safatle will be responsible for organizing the conference. We will keep you informed in the following months about the program and the practical arrangements. You can also find this information on our website.
Apart from organizing international conferences, the ISPP also actively supports the creation of local or regional networks, consisting of groups or individuals that are interested in the relation between psychoanalysis and philosophy. A first network that has already been established is the ‘Freud Research Group’, created through the initiative of the ‘Center for philosophical anthropology and Psychoanalysis’ (Radboud University/Catholic University of Leuven). It consists of a group of researchers that are particularly interested in the work of Freud and it’s relation to contemporary philosophy. This group meets twice a year. The working languages are French, English and German. Its activities will be announced on our website under ‘other activities’ – as well as other updates and networks that will be established in the future.
Kind regards,
Philippe Van Haute
Vladimir Safatle
Monique David-Ménard
Charles Shepherdson |
