Subjectivity and Otherness A Philosophical Reading of Lacan

This is the evolution of the concept of subjectivity in the works of Jacques Lacan.Countering the call by some "pro-Lacanians" for an end to the exegesis of Lacan's work - and the dismissal by "anti-Lacanians" of Lacan as impossibly impenetrable - "Subjectivity and Otherness" argues for Lacan as a "paradoxically systematic" thinker, and for the necessity of a close analysis of his texts. Lorenzo Chiesa examines, from a philosophical perspective, the evolution of the concept of subjectivity in Lacan's work, carrying out a detailed reading of the Lacanian subject in its necessary relation to otherness according to Lacan's orders of the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real.Chiesa emphasizes the continuity underlying apparently incompatible phases of Lacan's examination of the subject, describing Lacan's theory as a consistent philosophical system - but one that is constantly revised and therefore problematic.Chiesa analyzes each "old" theory of the subject within the framework of a "new" elaboration and reassesses its fundamental tenets from the perspective of a general psychoanalytic discourse that becomes increasingly complex. From the 1960s on, writes Chiesa, the Lacanian subject

From the Publisher
"Chiesa reintroduces us to Lacan in the same way Lacan
reintroduces us to Freud: setting aside received ideas, false projections,
and impressionistic readings, he uncovers what is most basic and original
in Lacan's thought
while demonstrating conclusively why an engagement with it is indispensable
for contemporary philosophy. Not a fly-over summary of the Lacanian corpus,
the book manages rather to capture the eventful moments of
hesitancy,insight, recasting, in short, the movement of Lacan's thought as
it grapples with the critical relation between subjectivity and
otherness.This is a dynamic, matchless reading of Lacan that will ignite
new interest in his work and rekindle the passion of initiates."

--Joan Copjec, author of Imagine There's No Woman///

"Distilled from an enviable mastery of the whole of Lacan's oeuvre, Lorenzo
Chiesa's book provides an exceptionally clear and well-integrated account
of all the central concepts at work in Lacan's notoriously elusive system
of
thought, organised in terms of its shift in orientation from 'Imaginary'
through 'Symbolic' to 'Real.' Rarely have the properly philosophical
dimensions of Lacan's anti-philosophy been presented with such assurance
and poise; anyone interested in the ongoing re-evaluation of the place of
the
subject in contemporary continental philosophy will find Subjectivity and
Otherness an invaluable and inspiring guide."

--Peter Hallward, Professor of Philosophy, Middlesex University, London,
UK///

"With this volume, Lorenzo Chiesa establishes himself as the leader of a
new generation of 'young Lacanians,' for whom Lacan is primarily a text
that needs to be read. Avoiding the need to pledge his doctrinal allegiance
to a master, and refusing the endless regurgitation of mantras, Chiesa
ploughs through the Lacanian territory with a razor-sharp intellect,
constantly unearthing original themes and motifs, and weaving patterns of
thought into an intellectual system that proves to be everything but
systematic and, for
that matter, all the more convincing. Chiesa reads Lacan philosophically,
not just insofar as he short-circuits psychoanalysis and philosophy, but
also insofar as he approaches the dense text with extreme care and
conscientiousness. I don't think Lacan has ever been read with so much
patience and exactitude, and had this book been produced during Lacan's
lifetime, there is no doubt that he would have recommended it to his
audience as a brilliant example of critical reading."

--Dany Nobus, Professor of Psychology and Psychoanalysis, Brunel
University, London, UK///

"Lorenzo Chiesa has written a philosophical account of Lacan's teaching
that is both a superb introduction and a penetrating study of his major
contributions, from the initial discovery that the unconscious is
structured
like a language to a detailed analysis of the subject of jouissance.
Newcomers will find a clear, step-by-step exposition of the major themes,
while those already familiar with Lacan's contribution to psychoanalysis
will find intense stimulation in Chiesa's philosophical engagement with
Lacanian thought."

--Russell Grigg, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Psychoanalytic
Studies, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia///