Homo Psyche

More about the book

Can queer theory be erotophobic? This book explores the surprising observation that, despite its political fervor and intellectual dynamism, queer theory adheres to a psychologically conservative model of erotic life. Even after decades of innovative queer thought, the field struggles to recognize that sexuality's radical potential lies in understanding it as "exogenous, intersubjective and intrusive" (Laplanche). Notably, while there have been calls to deconstruct the ideological underpinnings of contemporary queer thought, the impact of psychology on the field's conceptual challenges and political limitations remains unexplored. Through in-depth analyses of key queer theorists—Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Leo Bersani, Lee Edelman, Judith Butler, Lauren Berlant, and Jane Gallop—Homo Psyche introduces metapsychology as a critical analytical dimension, drawing on the theories of French psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche. Laplanche advocated for "new foundations for psychoanalysis" that significantly diverge from traditional Freudian and Lacanian models. By addressing this gap, Ashtor enriches ongoing discussions about the future of queer studies, revealing how the field's neglect of metapsychology perpetuates its alignment with psychological norms that are fundamentally erotophobic, thus undermining queer theory's radical and ethical aspirations.