AMST 332 Psychic Life of Violence in the United States
Sigmund Freud's intervention in personal sexual life often overshadows how psychoanalysis uniquely theorized violence in the context of two world wars. This course will consider how historical and contemporary violence in the U.S. might be informed by psychoanalytic concepts, including: aggressivity, group identification, neighbor relations, the death drive, and altruism. Readings include Freud’s work and texts by contemporary theorists grappling with the ongoing problems of war, racism, class conflict, and sexual violence.