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The Psychic Life of Power: Theories in Subjection

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This is a contituation from her earlier publications, "Gender Trouble," "Bodies That Matter." Those who read these two texts would find this book extremely interesting. Butler seems to move her theorization of subjectivity from the materiality of the body (in previous texts) to the psychic realm of subjectivity. Please note that this is NOT a reflection of Cartesian dichotomy of mind/body. Rather, I understand her move as strategic choice, in order to deepen her analysis of power and its relation to psychic realm, before delving into the inextricable reality of psyche and body. Here Butler draws on the works of various philosophers, such as Hegel, Althusser,Nietzsche, Freud, Foucault and so on, to explicate the complex process through which power engenders a psychic form (see intro), and constitutes a self. As always, her eloquent rhetorical style and brilliant epistemological turns are amazing enough.

I've read this book three times in the past several months in preparation for giving a talk on post-structural perspectives on early childhood gender and sexual development in psychoanalysis. As always, I find the effort it takes to understand Butler's writing to pay off richly in the brilliance of her arguments. In particular, I was drawn to two sections in this book: the first a reconsidering of who it is that turns to become a subject in Althusser's model of interpellation, and the second an exchange of papers with psychoanalyst Adam Phillips in which both grapple with how her work might be informed by psychoanalytic practice and the practice might be informed by her work. Having read this book both prior to and after immersing myself in Freud, Lacan and some of their major commentators, I found that I got far more out of Butler's book with a stronger background in the language and assumptions of psychoanalysis.

In *The Psychic Life of Power* Judith Butler provides a critical inquiry into the process of subject formation that reveals the self-conscious subject as necessary paradox. Her main argument is that the emergence of the subject depends on subjection to power and yet the subject that is inaugurated exceeds this power, because subjection can never fully totalize the subject. In order to elaborate her theoretical movements Butler draws on Hegel, Nietzsche, Foucault, Althusser, and Freud. The main metaphors for understanding the works of subjection are the turning of the subject on itself and the interpellation of the subject by the other. Consciousness and desire function as guiding categories for the analysis. Taking on the much discussed question of the possibility of agency Butler shows that the normalizing effect of social norms always produces an inassimilable remainder in the subject from where resistance against those norms becomes possible. *The Psychic Life of Power* provides a very powerful rethinking of the question of subjectivity and self-consciousness, even though - or maybe because of - the individual chapters' appearance as separate essays. In the introduction, however, Butler reveals how the various explorations all fit together in her thinking. A new stage of Butlerian lucidity - in and on Butlerian terms, though.

This Butler is her best yet. It is imaginative, provocative, and excellently argues. She moves through a number of theories and discourses including Althusser, Freudian psychoanalysis, Foucault, and Hegel in order to argue out a VERY important concept: passionate attachments. This concept of Butler's represents a major intervention and contribution for radical politics. The basic idea is the subjects becomes attached to the conditions of their own subjectivity EVEN if these conditions are oppressive one. Very interesting and suggestive point. This book is well worth the buy just to see how Butler will argue this point out. If I have one criticism of Butler is that her discussion ultimately resonates with a number of Lacanian concepts, but she still maintains her skeptical distance from Lacan--these Lacanian criticisms can be found in Zizek's excellent "The Ticklish Subject."

Much of the praise for this book falls in line with the "cult of Butler" that has been wooed by impenetrable discourse. It makes them feel important for being "provocative." But being provocative, in Butler's case, also means disconnected from what is "really real." Butler defends her substandard writing by claiming that it "shakes up the status quo." The reality, however, is that she reenforces the status quo because her writings are annoyingly pedantic.

Chapter five, for instance, is interesting, but esoteric and functionless. Butler contends that melancholic identification is the primary mechanism of gender formation. Where Foucault and Althusser stop short of defining what constitutes the "turn" in assujetissement, Butler pushes forward, using Freud to inform Foucault to discover the psychic form power takes. Because the masculine/feminine binary is socially constructed, it must be deconstructed in order to uncover the multiplicity of ways one might experience gender.

Toward the end of the chapter, Butler attempts to apply her abstract theoretical wanderings to actual sociopolitical problems, namely identity politics. Beyond her assertion that interest groups must shed their reliance on the forms of power that subjugate them, there seems to be little of practical use. Given the lack of efficacy, I found it peculiar that she would even attempt to connect her work to actionable programs for change. Additionally, while Butler importunately maintains that her writing style has the power to shake up the status quo, the impenetrability of her prose might preclude any such chance.

Are you a man who is attracted to women? Did you know why? It's because when you were an infant, you wanted to have sex with other men but your parents told you not to. Then you wanted to have sex with your own mother, but your parents forbid you to do that as well. So, unable to HAVE your objects of desire, you have to BECOME your father (the first one you were forbidden to have) so that one day you will get to HAVE your mother. Or...a suitable stand in for her.

Yes, this is psychoanalysis at its best, which is about as good as doing a few Tarot card readings as a means of gaining greater insight into human development. Butler seems stuck on the theories of Freud which have long ago been disproven by scientists around the world. In her world, there are no people, only objects of sexual desire. There is no human connection, no love and no common sense. It is ashame that this is required reading in some humanities departments these days. If you can get through this without falling over laughing then you either have no sense of humor or are afraid to upset the academic powers that be who have dubbed Butler worth reading. I choose to keep on laughing.