Foucault and the ‘Anti-Oedipus movement’

Psychoanalysis as disciplinary power

Bibliographic Data

ID19444571
AuthorsMauro Basaure (0000-0003-4111-2474, Diego Portales University, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume20
Issue3
Pages340-359
Publication date2009-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0957-154X • E-ISSN: 1740-2360
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0957154x08337638
PMID20030163
OpenAlexW2109465856
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited11

What psychiatry was for the anti-psychiatry movement, psychoanalysis was for the French ‘Anti-Oedipus movement’ represented by Robert Castel, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Until now, the contribution of Foucault to this critical movement has been little known. In this paper I reconstruct in a systematic and exhaustive way Foucault’s critique of psychoanalysis and, in particular, of the Oedipus-complex theory. I demonstrate that this critique presupposes a very specific epistemology and social theory. On an epistemological level, Foucault focuses on the power effects of psychoanalysis as a discourse of subjectivity. On a social-theoretical level, Foucault assumes a functionalist conception of society. These two aspects of Foucault’s critique of psychoanalysis have not been adequately recognized in the discussion about his relationship to psychoanalysis (Derrida, Miller, Whitebook, among others). I argue that a fruitful dialogue between a Foucault-inspired critical social theory and psychoanalysis can take place only if these two distinct aspects are taken into account

Critical theory · Discipline · Epistemology · Miller · Oedipus complex · Power (physics) · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Social science · Sociology · Subjectivity · Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Philosophy · Philosophy and Social Theory · Psychology