Psychoanalysis and Transversality

More about the book

Transversality can be visualized as a fenced field with horses wearing adjustable blinkers, where the adjustment represents the "coefficient of transversality." When the blinkers are fully closed, the horses experience a traumatic encounter, but as they are opened, movement becomes easier. Originally published in French in 1972, this collection features articles by Félix Guattari written between 1955 and 1971, offering insight into his intellectual and political journey leading up to his collaboration with Gilles Deleuze in "Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia." Guattari's unique background includes co-founding the La Borde psychiatric clinic in 1953 with psychoanalyst Jean Oury, emphasizing that treating psychotics requires altering the entire institutional context. He viewed "institutional psychotherapy" as a means not only to heal but also to foster a new relationship with the world. A dissident within the French Communist Party and an active participant in the May 1968 student uprising, Guattari recognized the potential for integrating analysis into political groups. He conceptualized these groups as open machines—subject-groups—rejecting hierarchical structures and developing transversally, rhizomatizing through connections with other groups.