Dominick LaCapra is a leading figure in the humanities, whose work delves deeply into the intersections of history, critical theory, and literary interpretation. He examines the intricate relationships between text, context, and language, offering incisive analyses of how history and fiction shape our understanding of human experience. LaCapra grapples with challenging historical events and their aftermath, engaging with themes of trauma, memory, and violence. His approach invites readers to critically consider the ways historical narratives are constructed and how they impact our perception of both the past and the present.
To what extent do we and can we understand others-other peoples, species, times, and places? What is the role of others within ourselves, epitomized in the notion of unconscious forces? Can we come to terms with our internalized others in ways that foster mutual understanding and counteract the tendency to scapegoat, project, victimize, and...
This updated edition includes a substantive new preface that reconsiders some of the issues raised in the book.
The book explores the intersection of theory and contemporary historical research by comparing the works of Alexis de Tocqueville and Michel Foucault, two authors rarely studied in conjunction. It delves into their differing perspectives and methodologies, highlighting how their insights can inform modern historical analysis and understanding. Through this comparison, LaCapra aims to enrich the discourse on the relevance of theoretical frameworks in interpreting historical narratives.
The relations between memory and history have become a subject of contention - the implications of the debate are particularly troubling for aesthetic, ethical and political issues. This study focuses on the interactions of history, memory and ethicopolitical concern in the aftermath of the Shoah.
The tragic history of the Holocaust has been both repressed and canonized in postmodern Western culture, leading to ongoing controversies regarding its interpretation. Debates surrounding figures like Paul de Man and Martin Heidegger highlight attempts to downplay the Holocaust's significance. Dominick LaCapra, a prominent voice in historiographical discussions, brings clarity to these complex issues by examining the intersections between historical events and the theories we use to understand them. In a series of essays, including three published for the first time, LaCapra addresses the challenges faced by historians and critics grappling with the Holocaust. He explores canon formation, revisionist historiography, and the implications of de Man's wartime writings. Additionally, he analyzes Heidegger's ties to National Socialism and critiques postmodernist preoccupations with concepts such as loss and deferred meaning. LaCapra argues that psychoanalysis extends beyond individual psychology, encompassing sociocultural dimensions that illuminate the relationship between past and present. He asserts that our attempts to comprehend the Holocaust are often hindered by its traumatic legacy, necessitating a "working through" of that trauma to achieve a deeper understanding of its significance.
"LaCapra offers an intriguing collection of essays to support both his enthusiasm for intellectual history... and his concern about the 'excesses' he finds in techniques and practices of the new social history. Admitting that the essays are...
Dominick LaCapra calls for a new view of intellectual history-one that will revitalize the importance of reading and interpreting significant texts. In ten essays, he reformulates the problem of the relation between the great texts of the Western...
