Lacanians Against Lacan

Lacanians Against Lacan
Author(s): Monique David-Menard and Brian Massumi

Source: Social Text, No. 6 (Autumn, 1982), pp. 86-111
Published by: Duke University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/466618
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LacaniansAgainstLacan
MONIQUE DAVID-MENARD
PUBLIC DISGRACE OR RECOGNITION OF A CRISIS?
Since September,1979, thepsychoanalysts

of theFreudianSchool of Paris have been
the
most
Or
perturbed
by
contradictory
passions. rather,passionslongrepressedare now
I
would
in
broad
not
emerging
say
daylight,since theirrootsremainunspoken,but in
nevertheless.
have
all
the
public
They
appearanceof symptoms
seekingexplicitexpression.
For thefourthtimein Frenchpsychoanalytic
history,a schismhas occurred,bringing
withitthemyriademotionallyladenconflictsof theoryand personality
thatinvariably
boil
beneaththe surfaceof the analyticinstitution.
Freudhimselfset the precedent:the early
historyof the associationhe foundedwas punctuatedby struggleonly his own termOedipal - can adequatelycharacterize.Jungand Adler,youngrenegadeanalysts,were
bitterly
expelledin thenameof theoretical
purity.Since then,each successivecontroversy
has fallenintothesame moldof a battlearoundallegianceto an individualand thedoctrine
he or she embodies.
In 1953 and 1964, JacquesLacan was therenegade,fighting
againstwhathe saw as the
of
the
of
Freud's
discoveries
the
International
Associbetrayal
radicality
by
Psychoanalytic
ation (IPA), headed by Anna Freud, and its Frenchaffiliate,the Paris Psychoanalytic
Association.Lacan was actuallythepresidentof thelatterorganizationwhen,in 1953, his
unorthodox
theoryand practices(especiallythe "shortsession") earnedhima voteof no
confidenceby analystsrepresenting
the IPA line. Lacan resignedand formedhis own
the
French
Association,whichsoonovershadowedtheoriginal
organization,
Psychoanalytic
group.
In 1964, thepowerfulIPA offeredLacan's bourgeoning
school international
accreditation:on conditionit strippedLacan of his membership.
The issuewas a volatileone - as it
stood,French-trained
analystswerenotrecognizedoutsideof France,a restriction
severely
limitingtheinfluenceof theirmovement- and theresultingsplitled to Lacan's founding
yet anothergroup. This new-comer,the FreudianSchool of Paris, again rapidlygrewto
outnumber
its predecessordespitetheoldergroup's institutional
legitimacy.'
teachesphilosophyand is a practicing
inParis. She did herpsychoanaDAVID-MENARD
MONIQUE
psychoanalyst
lytictrainingunderLacan, and studiedphilosophywithLouis Althusserat the Ecole normalesuperieure.
I The storyof thesecontroversies,
and an interesting
sociologicalanalysisof thenew "FrenchFreud" is found
in SherryTurkle,Psychoanalytic
Politics(New York: Basic Books, 1978). Documentsin Frenchon thefounding
of theFreudianSchool are collectedin the "Excommunication"supplementof Ornicar(no. 8), thebulletinof
"Le Champ Freudien," ed. J.A. Miller.
86
Lacanians AgainstLacan
87
theoreticaland politicaldifferences
Important
lay behindthedisputes.The trendrepresentedby Englishand Americanpsychoanalysis,long dominantin the IPA, places most
of theego and theanalysisof itsdefenses.It considerstheaim of
emphasison thestructure
of theego and the"realityprinciple,"to allow thepatientto
analysisto be a strengthening
rechanneldesiresso as betterto conformto society'sdemands.Lacan rejectedthisoutright
as repressive,refusingto definea successfulanalysisbynormative
standards.For him,the
ofa massivelie, andthe"cure" is theunknownsubjectat lastbreaking
ego has thestructure
to speak therepressedtruthof itshistory.The Lacanian analystdoes notimposea
through
butmerely"punctuates"thepatient'sdiscoursein a way that
prescriptive
interpretation,
illustrates
itsfalsity;in theend,thetrueformofthepatient'sdesirebecomesinterpretable
to
thepatient,in his or herown terms,forhis or herown ends.
of its conformist
Againstthe bureaucracyof the IPA and the theoreticaltimidity
ego
totheoriginaltextsofFreud.An associationtruly
psychology,Lacan proposeda bold return
dedicatedto elucidatingtheworkingsof theunconsciouswouldbe theveryantithesis
of the
hierarchical
anddogmaticIPA, reflecting
in itsstructure
thefluidity
ofitsobjectof study.In
Lacan's new FreudianSchool of Paris, no distinction
wouldbe made betweenanalystand
and any analysiscould be a training
analysand.Anyonecould join withoutformalities,
forbecomingan equal memberoftheSchool was theindividanalysis- thesole criterion
ual's own convictionof a readinessto practice.The truthof the unconsciousfollowsno
rules.
Butby 1969, Lacan himselfwas thetradition.
His FreudianSchool, overwhichhe came
to exertalmostabsolutepower,was a seasonedinstitution,
and thephenomenalgrowthof
interest
in his theories,particularly
in thebuddingfeminist
movementand thepost-May68
radicalleft,elevatedhimto thestatusof an idol. He had becometheMasterin theseat of
Truth,a role theZen-likestyleof his now famousSeminardid nothingto discourage.He
a qualifying
proposedto institute
procedurecalledthe"pass" toconfertherighttotrainnew
thoseable theoreticians
analysts,2and to createthetitleof "School Analyst"to distinguish
who made the grade frommere patientsof clinicians.The idea was met by anger and
disbeliefbythosewho saw in ita contradiction
of Lacan's ownfundamental
and it
attitudes,
became currentto referto theorganizationas a Church.The ensuingcontroversy,
which
wouldend in yetanothersplit,arousedall thepassionof a loyaltyfightaroundan embattled
leader.3
The sourceoftheemotionalentanglements
of suchpsychoanalytic
lies in the
politicking
structure
of theanalyticsituationitself.The precondition
of any analysisis theprocessof
transference
settleintotheemptyimage
wherebytheanalysand'smostbasic identifications
of theanalyst.The analyst'scalculatedaloofnesselicitsrepeatedappeals forrecognition,
and revivesthoseimaginaryseductionsor attacksthatcharacterized
variousstages in the
historyof the patient'sdesire. The patientspeaks in the void of the analyst'srefusalto
reanimatetherelationto absence at theheartof the
respond;vain demandsforreciprocity
ineverclearerdetailthestructure
ofmeaningthrough
whichthat
subject'sdesire,illustrating
2 In the "pass," an analystrecountedtheeventsof his
traininganalysisto threeothermembersof theSchool
who then"passed" iton to a reviewcommittee,whichalwaysincludedLacan. The committeevotedto decide if
the analysthad adequate theoreticalabilities,and conferredthe titleof -School Analyst" on those who were
accepted. For details, see Turkle,op. cit., pp. 123-130.
This time,Lacan stayedand the othersleft,formingthe "FourthGroup."
88
David-Menard
desirewas graduallyrefracted,
lostin disguise.Transference
is markedby a formof love,
and carrieswithit all love's complexities.Whenit is realizedthatthetraininganalysisof
everylongtimememberof the FreudianSchool was conductedby Lacan himself,whose
reactions,theemotionallycharged,
publicpersonawas calculatedto incubatetransference
incestuousnatureof a majordebatecan well be imagined.The psychoanalytic
association
and siblingrivalry
butmoreconsciously)is cementedbytransference
(likeall organizations,
in theshadow of thegiverof the law of desire.
Paradoxically,thefirstsig'nof thepresentcrisiscame in theformof a vote:Lacan, the
Denis
directorof theFreudianSchool fromits inception,had informed
thevice-president,
thathe was beingrelievedof his duties.Lacan
Vasse, a Jesuitdoctorand psychoanalyst,
gave no reason,but his actioncame afterVasse had addresseda meetingof "Confrontato providea freeforumat which
tion," a groupsponsoringregulartheoretical
presentations
Foundedin
analystsfromall the variousschools could meetto discuss theirdifferences.
1974, ithad soon begunto drawhundredsof participants,
amongthemprominent
analysts
to pave theway forthe
fromeach of therivalassociationswho wereaccused of attempting
post-Lacanperiod(Lacan was eightyat thetime).
FranqoiseDolto,4a longtimefriendof Lacan and a commandingpersonalityin psychoanalyticcircles,read to thegeneralassemblyof theFreudianSchool a letterof protest
fromanotherprominentanalyst,Michele Montrelay,5
demandingan explanationfrom
to pass the
Lacan. One-third
of themembersof theSchool endorsedtheprotestby refusing
What exactlywas being protestedthatday?
minutespresentedby the secretary-general.
Whatwas at stakein thedisagreement?
For manymembers,it was unclear.
bornof theoccasion,CharlesMelman,6a member
Clans formedquickly:in a newsletter
oftheBoardofDirectors,wrotethatthevotebetrayeda deep divisionintheSchool, andthat
thedissidents,whowereno longerLacanian(orneverwere),shouldgetout.The dambroke.
The oppositionelaboratedcomplaintsagainstthenew politicalleadership,whichhad
been approved in a September,1979, General Assembly. A new board of directors,
ofVincennesdepartment
fromtheUniversity
theoreticians
includingseveralpsychoanalytic
dedicatedto the"Champ Freudien,"had beenelectedin technicalviolationoftheby-laws.
Amongthesenew memberswas Jacques-AlainMiller,7Lacan's son-in-law,who is wellknownin Franceand abroadas theofficialguardianof Lacan's works.He is responsiblefor
A well-knownclinician,Dolto trainedmanyanalystsin child analysis,of psychoticchildrenin particular.
Excluded fromthe InternationalPsychoanalyticAssociation with Lacan in 1953, she numberedamong the
"School Analysts,"and had a seaton thereviewcommittee
ofthepass. She is also knownto theFrenchpublicas
themoderatorof radio programson childrenand education.Her publicationsincludeLe Cas Dominique(Seuil,
1974) and L'Evangile au Risque de la Psychanalyse(two vol., Seuil, 1979).
ofthepass. She has published,mostnotably,L'Ombreet le Nom
5 Montrelaywas also on thereviewcommittee
(Minuit, 1977) and "L'Effet de Bande" in Confrontation
(no. 2, AubierMontaigne,1980, pp. 159-167).
6 Charles Melman, a well-known
analyst,was a memberof the Directoryof the FreudianSchool, and also
servedon its teachingfaculty.
7 J.A. Millerwas theleaderof a decisivemomentin thehistory
of Lacanianismin the 1960s, whena groupof
philosophystudentsat theEcole NormaleSup6rieure,followersof Louis Althusserand forthemostpartMaoist
activistsin 1968, enteredtheSchool as a group(or a "cartel" as theywerecalled at thetime).Judith
Miller,his
wifeandLacan's daughter,is also a philosopher.Lacan's seminarwas heldat theEcole NormaleSup6rieurethen.
Miller's grouppublishedits workin the Cahiers pour l'analvse. Several of its membersbecame analysts,but
Miller remainedin the university.He directs,with Lacan's support,the PsychoanalysisDepartmentof the
Universityof Vincennes(now St. Denis).
4
89
of
seminars,and directstheforeigntranslations
establishingthetextsof Lacan's unwritten
his books, particularly
thoseappearingin theUnitedStates.
JustbeforeChristmas1979, theoppositionto theline represented
by Miller- a nonanalystacademic withpower in the FreudianSchool - confirmedits positions:a letter
ofthispower
signedbyfourmembersandaddressedto Lacan detailedthelegalirregularities
grab, and demandedthatthe board of directorsput an end to it. A simpleclan quarrel?
are a partof the oppositionto Miller:
Obviouslynot, since theoreticaldifferences
and
(1) a different
conceptionof psychoanalytic
theoryand itsrelationto theuniversity
the worldof cultureis expressed;
(2) questionsconcerningfeminismalso play a role:just beforetheproceduralbattles
came to thefore,Lacan had forbidden
Montrelayto conductherseminaron male sexuality
on thepremisesof theFreudianSchool, and heropponentsaccused herall along of being
moreof a feministat heartthanan analyst.
Whateverwas smolderingbeneaththe surfaceof the proceduralconflict,Lacan re5, 1980,addressedto all
spondedtotheselettersofprotestwithhisown letter,datedJanuary
membersof the School. In it, he announcedthedissolutionof theveryinstitution
he had
intoa Church,or a Party(by whom?),andhad
created,whichhe said had been transformed
his failure,he invited
provedincompatiblewiththepracticeof psychoanalysis.Admitting
"all those who wish to proceed with Lacan, this monthof January1980, to associate
themselveswithhim once more," and launchedintomoreseverecriticismof the "deviationsand compromises"8nourishedwithintheSchool thanhe had evervoicedbefore.He
declaredthathe had no needforlargenumbers.He received1000 responses.The members
of theFreudianSchool numberfewerthan600.
whose debatesordinarily
Curiously,thepress seized upon thisaffair.Psychoanalysts,
remaininternal,
beganexpressingthemselvesinthedailyand weeklynewspapersas though
so violenthadcomebetweenthemthattheycouldnotdiscussitintheircustomary
something
meetingplaces or at work.
Some of themjubilantlycriedvictory:finally,ourhandsare untied,we're freeof those
stupidand annoyinganalystscaughtup in the appeal to experienceas a substitutefor
as an admirablepsychoanalytic
thought.TheyhailedLacan's "I dissolve ... " statement
intervention
renewedconfidence.Miller,meanwhile,wrotethatall wouldsoon be
inspiring
well:
As faras we areconcerned,
it'sall over.Lacanis founding
a newgroup.Whoever
likeshimwill
followhim;butI supposethathe willhavetolikethemas well.We arestarting
anew,notfrom
is toconvenea specialassembly
oftheexzero,butas freshas canbe. All thatremains
ground
Freudian
Schoolandthenit's all over.9
Then twenty-eight
analystsfiled suit for a motionby which the courttakes over the
administraton
ofan associationguiltyofbreakingitsownby-lawsbyappointing
an overseer
to reinstatethe legal order. They won: the decisions of the September,1979, General
Assemblyweredeclaredinvalidbythechiefjudge oftheDistrictCourtinParis.The analysts
who had resortedto thecourtshad intendedto demonstrate
thatpsychoanalytic
discourse
does nottake place in a vacuum. They denouncedtheconfusionof the symbolicand the
8
This expressionof Lacan's, quoted by him, appearedin the foundingstatement

of theFreudianSchool.
"Self-Interview"by J.A. Miller in the radical weeklyLiberation,January10, 1980.
90
David-Menard
judicial thatLacan's pretensionto lay down the law exemplified,a confusionwhich,

accordingto them,encumberedhis practice,and even his theories.
The problemwas thatLacan's thought,
rootedintheanalysisoflanguageandthewayin
whichits structure
shapes the subject,could onlydeal withthepoliticalfroma particular
of theOedipus complex,alwaysa factorin his
angle. A pertinent
exampleis his treatment
institutional
decision.
Freudhadhypothesized
a "primalhorde" atthedawnofcivilization.It is ruledoverbya
jealous patriarch,whom covetous sons finallymurder;to assuage theirguilt, the sons
identifywith the father,takinghis place as thoughto prove he is still among them.
his law - theincesttaboo regulating
theexchangeof women
Eventually,theyreinstitute
thatis thecornerstone
of patriarchalculture.Theirguilt-ridden
agreementis consciously
meantto bringorderto theirviolentrivalry,and unconsciouslydesignedto ward offa
of theircrime.
repetition
To supplement
this"analyticmyth,"dramatizing
whateverysonis said toexperiencein
withthefatherin a new way. The
fantasy,Lacan had detailedtheprocessof identification
emotionalmelodramaofFreud'sversionoftheOedipal conflictwas replacedbya structural
model,based inparton modernlinguistics,in whichtheson assumesthefunctional
place of
the"Name oftheFather"("nom" and "non" arehomophonous
in French).The father,an
unwelcomethirdterminsertedintotheprimalmother-child
relationship,
destroystheboy's
dreamof reunitingwiththe mother'sbody by paternalprohibition.
The child's desireis
deflectedfromitsprimitive
aimof being(one with)her(beingherdesire,whatis lackingin
to
a
new
aim; havingher(havingherdesire,beingwhatshe wants). Being, like the
her),
the
father, independent
object of a woman's desirebecomes theonly sociallyacceptable
of thesymbolicassumptionof the "name" of thefather:that
The
is
one
option.
process
nameis a label fora sociallyfunctioning
unitdefinedineverywaybythesex andkinshipties
a name implies.It carrieswithit a special role.
Lacan holdsthatthestructure
thisidentificaof thespeakingsubjectconstituted
through
tion withthe Name of the Fatheris in manyways homologousto the purelylinguistic
initsdifferential
structure
relationtoother
is determined
bywhicha name,likeanysignifier,
the
of
the
often
taken
to
be
crucialelement
The
side
is
most
signifiers.
linguistic
theory
because thefundamental
underlies
the
two
foundations
structure
of
binary
upon
language
whichtheOedipus complexis built:theprimitive
of thepre-subjective
formations
unconscious and thebasic rulesof social exchangethatlaterimpingeupon it fromwithout.The
behind
factthatthesymbolic"capture" of theOedipalizedsubject,and thefather-function
of the
an
to
bear
anarchic
desires
entire
network
of
social
the
determinations
it,bring
upon
childis rarelyemphasized.It is hardlymentioned
thatwhiletheimposedsocial relationsand
theunconsciousupon whichtheyact maysharethestructure
of language,theend effectof
in
theOedipal processis one of theexerciseofa properly
politicalpowerthatis notinherent
wordsalone.
Lacan is oftenaccused of operatingtoo muchin thissymbolicrealm,in whichFreud's
dramaticvision of the murderof the primalpatriarchcould be expressedin termsof the
use ofthepronoun"I" andofthenamewithwhichitcomestobe coupled.He was
linguistic
accused of forgetting
that,once theyhave been groundedin social reality,laws and the
all theirown. His theoretical
resultantinstitutions
have a historyand specificity
emphasis
undermines
thepoliticalas a separatedomain.Lacan's opponentsmeantto remindhimthat
tiedto thelives and careersof so many,was morethana
theFreudianSchool, intricately
91
symbolicscreenfortheprimalhorde(thoughit was also that,as eventshave shown),and

thatit was also partand parcel of a realitythatenjoyedanotherkindof efficacy.
But Lacan's followerscounteredthatin appealingto thecourts,to "an Otherto which
one cannotrespond,"analystswerebroughtintodisrepute.o0
PuttingLacan, theDirectorof
theSchool, underjudicial tutelagewas seen as a publicdisgrace.Lacan treatedtheanalysts
he suspectedof wantingto take over the name of the FreudianSchool as imposters.An
undefinedviolenceand hatredstirredbeneaththe insults.
The overseerhad in facthis own agenda in mind;in oppositionto therapiddissolution
desiredby Miller, he wantedto leave time for reflectionforboth the membersof the
FreudianSchool and those who had pledged allegianceto Lacan by endorsinghis as yet
undefined
plan. The divisionswerenotjustbetweentwoorthreeclans,butsurgedup within
themas well.
As membersof theFreudianSchool, we all believe thatwithoutLacan and his friends
andcollaborators,
wouldhave been erasedformthemapoftheLatinworld,
psychoanalysis
transformed
intonormativepsychology,as it was in EasternEurope and NorthAmerica.
outof thepsychologizShortlyaftertheSecond WorldWar, Lacan broughtpsychoanalysis
ing rutin which it was vegetating.He allowed it to become somethingmore thanthat
ofmentaland social "hygiene" whichpsychiatrists
instrument
andanalystsopposingLacan
froma Marxistperspectivein 1953 wishedto make it." For Lacan, psychoanalysiswas a
therapeutic
practice,but also a radicalinquiryintodesireand madnessas theyaffecteach
andeveryintellectual
endeavorandcall intoquestionthesymbolicandsocial systemswithin
whichwe are caught.But firstgenerationLacanians and those who came after,all who
followedLacan through
thefertileschismsofthepast,arepresently
perplexed.The wordsof
Octave Mannoniare symptomatic:
before
there
was"Lacanianism,"
since1948) . . . I intend
toremain
oneif
I ama Lacanian(from
I do notmeetwithinsurmountable
difficulties.
Butitseemstomethatpsychoanalysis
shouldshow
moreconcernforits own crises,insteadof furnishing
themostimpassioned
with
partisans
doubtful
arguments.12
On theofficialscene, spring1980 was fast-paced:Montrelayheld herseminaron male
sexualityin a privatehall. Miller was named by Lacan to head a committeeentitled
"Dissolution Work," whichremainedwithinthe framework
of the as yetlegallyundissolved FreudianSchool. At the same time,he organizeda seriesof sessions forthe new
associationfoundedby Lacan, "The FreudianCause,"'1 at whichspeakersattemptedto
definethetheoreticaland clinicaldifferences
along whicha splitshouldbe drawnbetween
articles:Miller,FranqoisRoustangand
19, 1980, Le Monde (p. 2) publishedthreerepresentative
0oOn January
JeanClavreul. See Liberation,January10, 1980 (p. 2), in whichtwo womenof opposingviews, Montrelayand
Ch. Hamon, expressthemselves.
" See "La Psychanalyse,ideologie reactionnaire?"in Ornicar, supplementto no. 7, pp. 17-28.
2 La QuinzaineLitteraire,no. 326, June1, 1980, p. 18. Mannonihas mostnotablypublishedPsychologiede
la Colonisation(1950), Clefspour l'Imaginaireou l'AutreScene (1958), and Un Commencement
qui n'enfinit
pas (1980), all at Editionsdu Seuil.
cause," quoted in Lacan's article,"The
3 This termgoes back to Freud's expression"the psychoanalytic
FreudianThing," (Ecrits. New York: Norton,1977), pp. 114-146. To Frenchears, italso recalls"The People's
Cause," a Maoist groupsupportedby Sartre,and of whichJ.A. Miller was a member.
92
David-Menard
theopposingcamps. Later, I will discuss at lengththiscall forsecessioninaugurated

by
Miller'4 and Melman.'"
The denunciation
of dangeroustendenciesin thewritings
of certainanalystsdominated
thedebates. The themeswere interpretation,
the statusof the body, and the ideas of the
psychoanalyst.
As springpassed, the situationbecame more and more complex. In principle,the
divisionsweresupposedto becomeclearer.Butthisdid notseemto be happening.The fact
thatMontrelay,one of thebackersofthecourtmotion,had attendeda meetingforDelenda,
the newsletterof the FreudianCause,'6 invitingher opponentsto debate, was avidly
criticizedby some of the plaintiffs.It had become evidentthatthe 28 signersdid not
constitutea coherentgroupin themselves,and had no wish to formone. They had not
to illuminate
whatwas at stakeinthecrisis
originallymeanttoprovokea newsplit,butrather
andto reflecton whatpassed unsaidin psychoanalytic
schismsbeginning
withFreud.Butto
do that,it was necessaryto avoid playingtherole of organizedsecessioniststhatMiller
called upon themto take.
Politically,thisperiodcame to an end by a vote:a GeneralAssemblyon July5, 1980,
decided againstthe dissolutionannouncedby Lacan six monthsbefore.Lacan won the
ofthevotes,butaccordingto theby-lawsa two-thirds
was needed.Of 466
majority
majority
votingmembers(thereare 590 in the FreudianSchool), 294 were fordissolution,145
against.
In a letterdatedJuly10, 1980, and sentbymailunderthenameoftheFreudianCause to
all membersof theSchool, Lacan declaredthat,"as fortheFreudianSchool, itwillhave no
peace untilI'm done withit." A new GeneralAssemblywas convenedforSeptember27,
1980, withthe same agenda: dissolution.
THEORY TO THE FORE?
To listento theleadersoftheFreudianCause, thiswas theappointedhourfortheoretical

cleavage:afteryearsof laxityandtolerance,itwas timeto be firm,toclose ranksanddefend
thegainsof Lacanian theoryagainsttherevengeful
threatsof thepsychiatric
establishment
and disillusionedanalysts.
Is thereanythingto this argument?The legal protestand Lacan's act of dissolution
of the analysts
opened a periodof reflection.This "Interval" (the titleof the newsletter
became
an
occasion
for
in
debate.
1980,
suit)
bringing
Beginning February,
Montrelay,in
her seminars,outlinedher workmethods,clinical conceptions,and agreementsand diswithLacanian theory.Althoughshe presentedherselfas a rivalto Millerin his
agreements
claim to representthe Lacanian heritage,and was thusin underlying
complicitywithhis
confrontational
sheposed vitalquestionsaboutprimalrepression,
andon thenature
strategy,
of feminity
in menand itsclinicaland institutional
consequences.The entirequestionis of
greatestsensitivitysince it goes straightto the heartof Lacan's theoryof the Oedipal
of his teachings.
complexin its relationto language,theverycornerstone
14
Plus Un (thejournal of the "cartels" of the FreudianSchool), no. 2, pp. 5-6.
'5 Plus Un, no. 1, p. 9.

16The namecomes fromthephrase"Delenda est Carthago,"Carthagemustbe destroyed.Cato theElderused
it to punctuatehis speeches to the Romans. Carthagewas destroyed.
93
"Primal repression" is contemporaneouswiththe child's accession to language. It

forthebreast).
beginswiththe"murder"of thedesiredobject(whichis alwaysa substitute
To avoid theanxietyofitsabsence,theobjectis replacedbythereassuring,
virtualpresence
of the word thatdesignatesit. Primalrepressionis thusthe process by which the child
distancesitselffromtheimmediacyofthefluxofdesireand itsobjectivecontext.A measure
of self-control
has been gained throughthe symbol;desire is now presentonly in the
of itsabsentobject,whichcan be manipulated,
negative,depositedin theverbalsubstitute
at whim.The child'sdesiregainssocial currency,
recalled,rejected,orredirected
catapulted
throughlanguageintoan unconsciousdialogue withothersthatbreaksthepsychichegemonyof thefamily.The priceforsocial beingis thealienationof desire,whosemeaningis
are
lostwiththeeternallyabsent,necessarilyforgotten
object,and whoseverbalsubstitutes
now capturedby theconventionsof language.
For Lacan, it is actuallythecompletionof theprimalrepressionat theresolutionof the
Oedipal complex thatlays the groundworkfor its own eventual,partialsubversionin
analysis.The boy (as usual, male developmentis privilegedin thetheory),byassumingthe
Name oftheFather,is givena symbolfortheself:through
a "suicide" parallelto theearlier
"murder"of theobject. The selfis made theobject,and a seconddistancingis effected
thatof selffromself,whichdefinesconscienceand reflective
thought.The alienateddesire
of the subjectis unknowingly
as an object of thought,lyingdormant,twice
reintegrated
removed,in the signifierof the self.
Bothsexes arebisexualbynatureaccordingtoFreudiantheory.Butthe"feminine"side
of men is rarelyspokenabout,especiallyaftertheprimalrepressionat theOedipal stage,
whenit is theoretically
submergedby that"paternalmetaphor"whichis theName of the
Father.Whenitis broached,itis usuallyspokenofintermsofrepressed(ornotso repressed)
as Lacan is wontto emphasize.
homosexuality.The theoryis unabashedlyphallocentric,
The factthatMontrelayoccupied a stormypositionescaped no one's attention.Thata
woman shouldpubliclyspeak on male fulfillment,
especiallyin oppositionto established
was
not
tolerated.
truths, certainlysomething widely
Usuallyitis menwho speakoffemale
with
limited
Lacan
women
to
that
respondedby recallinghis previous
sexuality,
topic.
statements
to theeffectthatifwomenare notentirely
they
governedbythephallicfunction,
can have nothingto say about it by virtueof thatveryfact.
The questionof thephallusand castrationin theOedipal conflictcan be misleadingif
Freudianterms.Like everyissue in analysis,it mustbe placed in the
graspedin traditional
contextof Lacan's new structural
the signifierof the self that
and linguisticorientation:
foundsreflectivethoughtat the end of the Oedipus complex is on one level simplythe
phallusitself.The phallusis notan organ,it is notthepenis, buta symbolwitha phallic
value of
function.Anatomyis notdestiny:rather,thesociallyand structurally
determined
theidealizedfunctionof themale organis determinant.
For Lacan, thephallusis themost
itbecomesthefinalstand-in
privilegedof signifiers.Because of itsmultipledeterminations,
fordesire,thesignifier
of all signifiers.(It is thesymbolof whatthemotherwants,thusof
whatthechildwantstobe, andin momentsofdelusionbelieveshe is; itis thesymbolofwhat
thefatherhas, whatthemotherwants,and thuswhatthechildwantsto have, in orderto be,
likehim,theobjectof herdesire;it is whatdistinguishes
theotherfromthefatherwho lays
downthelaw, thusbecominga symbolofpoweror social effectiveness;
inthiscapacityitis
the"paternalmetaphor,"identified
withtheName of theFather;lastly,at itsmostgeneral,
itis thesignifier
ofunification,
the"copulatory"inthelinguisticsenseoftheemptymarker
94
David-Menard
of union.)The phallusis identified

withtheobjectlostin primalrepression;
as a camouflage
fortheobject's absence,primalrepressionis thedenialof castration(or in otherwords,of
separationfromthe mother).
Lacan usuallyspeaksofprimalrepressionoccuringat theonsetoftheOedipuscomplex,
whenby his own theoriesit would ratherseem to beginat an earlierstage,withthe first
of language,and beingreinterpreted
structures
in Oedipal termsonlylateron. It
primitive
can be arguedthatbytheOedipal stagethechildhas alreadylearnedtheuse ofpronounsand
fortheself;theOedipus complex
propernames,alreadyhas, in Lacan's terms,a signifier
would thenhave been builtupon thissubstrataas a solidification
of thesocial meaningof
self. Lacan's decision to compresseverything
into this laterstage (or to telescope the
Oedipus complexbackwardsto includeearlierdevelopments)can be seen as a symptomof
his desireto maketheOedipuscomplexthefounding,universalprincipleofhumansociety.
In hisframework,
froma
anyonefoolishenoughtobe "anti-phallic"couldonlybe suffering
of
does
reaction
to
horror
a
and
have
stuff
of
the
not
the
a
theoretician.
castration,
hysterical
The phallusthereby
becomessynonymous
withdesire;anyonenotacceptingitsproperplace
in thetheorywould thenbe seen as partof theresistanceto theFreudianrevolution.
A feministviewpointcriticizesthe sexist dogmatisminherentin pinningthe label
"phallus" on theprincipleof unionat thebasis of desire.In theopinionof some, thebasic
arefulfilled
"phallic" or "castration"functions
duringtheprebyanynumberof signifiers
is
and
after
the
are
bound
and
it
fact
that
Oedipal phases,
together redefinedin
only
they
terms
this
is
case
ofthe"successfully"
On
Lacan
the
extreme
view,
(if
ever).
phallic
taking
as
of
structures
the
for
completedabsorption patriarchal
precondition humansociety.Lacan's positionwouldthusbe seen as an essentiallypoliticalstandin thenameof theoretical
necessity:a standthatcould onlybe explainedbytheMasteranalyst'sown peculiarrelation
to theLaw. Here is his pronouncement
on womenanalysts:
Itisoncondition
from
thegiddiness
ofanti-phallicism,
ofwhichthere
isnotraceinthe
theyrefrain
in
that
can
hear
what
the
unconscious
remains
extends
intowhat
unsaid,
unconscious, they
yet
ofproperly
growsoutof itintotheattainment
phallicpleasures.
'
This is presumablywhyFranqoiseDolto, forexample,has had a reputation
herentire
careerforbeingan ingeniousanalystbuta sorrytheoretician,
whoconcededthatshe did not
understand
a thingaboutLacan. Forthesamereason,Montrelay'sseminarwas forbidden
by
Lacan and Melman.
All ofthisgivesan idea ofwhatwas beneaththesurfaceofthetheoretical
discussions.In
the
was
in
a
its
to tracethe
overdetermined
different
task
was
Delenda,
theorizing
way:
outlineof thedivisionsand preparetheway fora clearpartingof theways,to bringoutthe
and anatheoreticians
profoundtheoreticaldisagreements
amonganalysts.Psychoanalytic
worked
more
than
but
The
debate
usual,
lysts
together
closely
ambiguitiesappeared.
demonstrated
thatit was morea questionof politicsthanof theprogressof psychoanalytic
research.In particular,thepoliticalstakesin thetheoretical
debatesbecameevidentin the
magic formulasinvokedto articulatethe divisions;I will elaborateone example, which
concernsthe statusof thebody in psychoanalysis.
'7 Le SeminaireXX: Encore (Seuil, 1975), pp. 81-82, and the Seminarof January15, 1980.
95
WHICH BODY?
The issueofthebodybringsintoplaythespecificity
ofpsychoanalysis
inrelationtobody
from
the
United
now
flourish
on
the
Parisian
marketwhich,
States,
therapies
imported
relaxation,bioenergy,primalscream,behavioraltherapies;in sum, all of the short-term
therapiesthatproposeto remodelthepatient'sunconsciousby actingupon theirbodies.
It is incontestablethathere again Lacan transformed
the problem:foran analyst,a
inhabits
his
to
it.
subject
body speak
Butaccordingto one view of thequestion,therewas an enemybehindthelines:analysts
workingwithpsychoticpatientshad yearsago madethemistakeofclaimingvalidityforthe
notionof a "body image," insteadof strictly
abidingby Lacan's teachingthatthe"body is
an image."
One of Lacan's fundamental
innovationswas to have replacedFreud's topologyof the
ego, super-ego,and theid withhis own triad:theImaginary,theSymbolic,and theReal.
The body as an object in the real world has no place in this schema. To speak of an
"objective" bodywitha corresponding
imageinthemindis to leave basicallyunchallenged
the Cartesiannotion,attackedby virtuallyeverycurrentof modem thought,of a selfcontainedsubjectin rationalrelationwiththeworld.
Psychoanalysissuggeststhatthe subject'searliestexperienceswithobjectsand others
aremarkedby dual relationscharacterized
betweenselfand
bya totallack of differentiation
non-self.These relationsare termedImaginary.Theyare at thebasis of primary
identificaat
tion,theveritableconfusionof selfand object,or selfand other,and are mostprominent
theearly,pre-linguistic
sumof these
stagesof development.The bodyis butthestructural
of theego is constructed
out of them,particulater,theprimitivestructure
identifications;
withadults,who presentan enviableideal of completenessand
larlyfromidentifications
self-control.
It is whenthechildrecognizeshisown imagein themirror,
intoitall
projecting
he would like to be, thatthe ego is born as an autonomousstructure.Because prior
confusionsand identifications
informthismirror
image,by assumingitas his own thechild
is adoptingas his theimageof others.The disparity
betweenwhathe is, and whathisothers
were(whathe wantedto be andpresumptuously
assumedhe was) createsan existential
gap,
of selfto self.The childis
a riftof self-alienation
thatfoundssubjectivity
on thenon-identity
now an otherto whichhe mustinternally
relate.
Duringthemirror
stage,thechildmastershisown image(in theclassicexample,making
itappearand disappearin themirror,
accompanyingeach changeof statewithsyllablelike
"fort/da").The mirror
image,liketherepressedobjectof desire,is replacedby a meaningful sound; the self becomes signified.This is the crucial step in primalrepression:the
existentialsituation,overshadowedby the symbol,falls into oblivion, and with it the
to the child's name (in boys, later
subject's truth.The fictionof a unitycorresponding
assimilatedby a secondaryidentification
intotheName of theFather)is constructed
using
thebody's physicalunityas a ruseto hidethesubject'spainfuldivision,to concealthetruth
thatthesubjectis essentiallyOther.The Symbolic,theprincipleof mediation,thentakes
therealmof consciouslanguage,
ascendency.It is thethirdtermin anyhumanrelationship:
thevehicleof the Law, and theoperationalbase of theunconscious(whichis foundedby
the"defiles of
primalrepression).The subjectcan onlyknowitselfand itsdesiresthrough
thesignifier."The body(or anyotherobject) is neverimmediately
known;it is alwaysan
image laden with imaginaryconfusions.Its destiny,like thatof all objects, becomes
96
David-Menard
attachedto its signifiers,as timepasses becomingprogressively

of any
moreindependent
phenomenalentity.The Real is not objectiverealityin a positivistsense, butthatwhich
eludes signification.
In analysis,thesubject'srealityis a traumarejectedintothe unconof theword.
scious, especiallythetraumaof separationwhichmotivatestheconstitution
to a stagebeforethe
Psychosisis thefailureof primalrepression,a fixationat or regression
Symbolicorderwas solidified.The imaginaryconfusionof self and other,inside and
outside,stillremainsoperative;objectsare treatedas symbols,and wordsas things.Lacan
therefore
thinksof psychosisas a deficiencyin the symbolicfunction:theImaginarycan
onlybe alteredthroughtheSymbolicorder.Psychicdisorderscan onlybe caused or cured
throughlanguage,not by way of thelifeof thebody.
On thisview, then,FranqoiseDolto, Gisela Pankow,and Michele Montrelaywrongly
tookpsychosisas a pretext
to posita bodybeforelanguage.For Lacan, beforelanguage,the
bodyhas thestatusof anyotherimage;ithas no unityand is notclearlymarkedas belonging
to thesubjectuntilthebirthof languageallows itto be objectified.Even then,itis treatedas
anyotherobject (mortified).But thedissenterspositedthebodyas theliving"container"
theorizedbyMelanie Klein. In strictly
Lacaniantheory"the bodyis always-1" - whichis
to say, in thefinalanalysis,a corpse.
The bodycountsas -1, emphasizesJ. A. Miller,and itsproperfunction"is seen in the
tomb." Any conceptionof psychoanalysisas a practiceaimingto "revive dead zones, to
return
themto a certainethicof whichourbodyis dispossessed" 8 in neurosisor psychosis,
was ridiculedas akin to Christiancharityand an ideologyof love reminiscentof the
"lamentablereligiosity"of FranqoiseDolto.
Such dangeroustendenciesautomatizedthebodyin thenameofan ideologyof life,and
wereseen as theFrenchversionof thebodytherapiesflourishing
overseas. A schismwas
looming.
Whatendedthedebate?Thattherewereelectoralstakes?The oratorsofDelenda decked
themselveswithknowledgeas a weapon:theythought
itnecessaryto be wise, rigorous,and
to
convince
the
masses
to
vote
in
imperative
right the General Assemblydecision on
dissolution.They overdid it and lost losing the vote. The formtheirmeetingstook is
to denouncedeviations.Itwas alwayssomeone
explainedprimarily
bytheirpublicfunction:
else who was wrong,who was on thedownhillslide.
A VICTORY AGAINST MYTH?
Thattheremaybe fundamental
inadequaciesin theworkofLacan himself,orperhapsin
thefundamental
was unutterable
sincetheissue was to defend
conceptsof psychoanalysis,
enemies.
psychoanalysisas a whole againstits innumerable
Freud,however,was notafraidto underlinethedoubtshe workedfrom.He wrotethat
theconceptof theunconsciouswas confusedbyphilosophicaland psychologicalstandards,
butthathe neededit. And also thattheidea of instinct,
or drive,theborderline
betweenthe
psychicand somatic,was a myth,a paradox,evena piece of nonsense,judgedwithdualist
rigor.In short,Freud inscribedintopsychoanalytic
theorytheparadoxesand doubtsthat
delimitits fieldof application.He did nothide them.
In contrast,theDelenda theoreticians
used magicformulasto denythedifficulties
of
18Miller's "Self Interview."The
expressionwas reusedby Millerin Delenda.
97
theirshortcomings
to their
analyticaltheory;thatis, theyalludedto themonlyby imputing
adversaries,who were made out to be secessionists.
Eric Laurent,thensecretary-general
of theSchool, does in factadmitthatthebodyis a
thornyproblemin the analysisof childrenand psychotics.But thatdoes notpreventhim
frombelievingthatthe "true way" provideda clear and distinctprincipleto resolve it.
Lacan is supposed to have definitively
thatthe body, far frombeing a
demonstrated
the
containeras Klein thought,
mustbe conceivedof as comingfromtheoutside- through
circuitoustrajectory
of thedrivegoingoutto encirclethedesiredobject(alreadythetopicof
of
an imaginary
withinon anotherlevelthrough
theintrojection
andreturning
identification)
itssymboliccontours:"If we imaginethatthebodyhas an inside,itis byan effectsimilarto
a glove fingerturnedinside out. There is, beforeanythingelse, a surfacewhichcreates
effectsof interiority
and exteriority
by meansof topologicalphenomena."The selfis the
orderedagglomeration
of theoutlineof thesumof thedrives'externalobjectsintrojected.
Afterearlychildhood,whenthe"object" becomesanotherpersonin love (or transference),
thisintrojection
takeson thedimensionsof a secondaryidentification
definingtheego. The
magic wordis therebypronounced.The appeal to topologyallows themto resolve,notto
displace butto resolve,theinadequacythatFreudhimselfsaw in theconceptof thedrive.
Thanksto Lacan, who no longerspeaksof thebody,butof theImaginaryand theReal, no
longerof thepsychic,but of the Symbolic,and thanksto thematheme,thatlittleknown
few analystscan know,
theoryof non-intuitive
space studiedby a branchof mathematics
is re(and the psychoanalytic
everything
applicationsof whichyet fewercan master),"9
solved and theopposingpositionsclearlydifferentiated.
In thecourseof thisdebate,Lacan's SeminarXI: The Four FundamentalConceptsof
Psychoanalysiswas oftencited.In it,he triedtoestablishtherelationbetweendrivesandthe
unconsciousas a signifying
system.Certainpages do infactpresenttherecourseto topology
as a resolutionof theold problemof therelationof the body to language.
foryou as beingsituatedin thegaps thatthe
theunconscious
I havebeenable to articulate
ofany
setsup ina subject,whichI placeatthecenter
investments
distribution
ofthesignifying
in the
andthesubject.It is in so faras something
betweenreality
of theunconscious
relation
ofthe
inthesameway,itis becauseofthetopological
ofthebodyis structured
unity
apparatus
unconscious.20
the
of
the
role
in
its
the
drive
assumes
that
in
functioning
gaps play,
All satisfaction
The "gap" in thebodyis the"hollow" leftby an objectof satisfaction.
must be achieved with the body in relationto an object. In the object's absence, the
traceofthisgesturalformpersistsinperpetualreadiness,butremainsempty.That
imaginary
partof thebody thatunitedwiththeobject is eroticizedby itscontact,its imaginaryform
becomingthe openingthroughwhichdrives(eroticimpulsesto repeata satisfaction)are
channelledby a kindof magneticpull. For example,themouthbecomesan erogenouszone
by its nourishingcontactwiththebreast,and virtuallyall drivesat a certainstagewill be
expressedthroughtheoral function.The act of suckingand all of itssymbolicassociations
chainis thesecond-degree
foreverretainan eroticizedelement.The "gap" inthesignifying
19 Lacan's
and formallogic, is meantto illustrate
"matheme," a complexsystembased in parton mathematics
thistopologyof thesubject. One formit has takenis thenow infamousmulti-colored
diagramsof "Borromean
Knots," whose secretsare a mysteryto most.
20
Lacan, The Four FundamentalConceptsof Psychoanalysis(New York: HogarthPress, 1977), p. 181.
98
David-Menard
"hollow" formedby theabsentobject "murdered"by thesymbol,leftbehind,embedded

in its painfullyforgotten
existentialmooringsand never fullyrecoveredfor conscious
It
is
the
in themetonymic
manipulation.
space betweensignifiers
slidingof desirethrough
discourse.In readingthistext,however,itis fitting
to ask whether,
giventwoheterogenous
series- thesignifying
chainon theone handandthebodyatplayinthedriveon theothereach containinga rift,it follows thatthe gaps in questionare homogeneous,and if a
topologicalunionhas thepowerto assure theirhomogeneity.
Severalpages laterinthesameSeminar,however,thetopologicalmodelonce againfalls
to thestatusofa metaphor,anrd
Lacan nowemphasizesthemythiccharacter
ofthenotionsof
the libido and drives.
The libidois theessentialorganin understanding
thenature
ofthedrive.The organis unreal.
Unrealdoesnotmeanimaginary.
Theunrealis defined
itself
ontherealina way
byarticulating
thateludesus, anditis precisely
thisthatrequires
thatitsrepresentation
shouldbe mythical,
as I
havemadeit. Butthefactthatit is unrealdoes notprevent
an organfromembodying
itself.2'
he thinksofthelibido"not as a collection
Here,Lacan replacestheFreudianmetaphors;
of forces,but as an organ" - an unrealorgan. Correspondingly,
in the drive,the body
in surrealist
The
operateslike a montageof fragments
painting.
appeal to topologyis now
seen in a verydifferent
It
is
decisive
to
rework
Freudian
light. certainly
metaphors!
But all thingsconsidered,epistemologicalrigorconsistsin recognizing
theanalogiesin
use, in situatingthe metaphorsupon whichthe theoryrestsratherthanclaimingto have
eliminatedthemin a newabstractconceptuality
thatremainstopologicalin nature.Perhaps,
afterall, psychoanalytic
themina
theoryprogressesbydisplacinglacunaeandrediscovering
different
form.Whywoulditbe dangerousto sayso? Whyshoulditbe necessarytopreclude
thequestionwitha
sanctifiedby theprestigeof mathematics?
magic.formula
servedpolitics.Rarelyhave
Rarelyhas the invocationof knowledgeso transparently
decisivequestionsbeen so naivelydismissedin thenameof a priornecessityto instruct.
In
themeetingsofDelenda Lacan was neveronce criticized.It was recognized,ofcourse,that
his thoughts
offeredup severalpossibilitiesforinterpretation,
butitwas unutterable
thathis
textwas on some pointsincoherent,
or thathe stumblednotjust overdifficulties,
but,like
Freudhimself,over lacunae.
DOES ONE BECOME AN ANALYST BY READING?
Up to now, I have held to thehypothesisthatthetheoreticaldebatewas informed

by
essentiallypoliticalimperatives:who will takepowerin LacanianismafterLacan? Univerforprovidingtheoreticalrigorin the studyof texts,and stands
sitylearningis important
againstthe impenitent
empiricismof the analysts,who mistaketheirflightsof fancyfor
knowledge.
But itwouldbe a simplification
to leave itat that:readingand workingthrough
thetexts
ofFreudandLacan function
inthetraining
ofanalystsnotmerelyas theentryway
to a system
whosetermsand articulations
will be understoodprogressively
better,providinga counteron thecontrary,
pointto whatis said on thecouch. Whatis significant,
is thatcertainpoints
inthetextsdo notmakesense. Blunders,inthishole-ridden
reading,arenotuselessslag, but
thefoundationupon whichthe subjectnecessarilythinks.
21
Ibid,p. 205.
99
The theoreticalproblemsencounteredin thetextshave a vitalrelationto thepractical

problemsof thecure. In a cure, somethingin thedesireof theanalystis mobilizedby the
whichprovokesitat a pointof weakness.In analysis,theanalysand
patient'stransference,
seeksto "seduce" theanalyst.To do so, he mustdefinetheanalyst'sdesireas itis revealed
inthethreadof hiselusivediscourse;thisis a repetition
ofthestanceoftheinfanttowardthe
mother.Andjustas before,thedesireoftheotheris thesubject'sowndesiremisplacedinthe
or mirror-image
identification.
The desireoftheanalysthas a "weak
objectofhis imaginary
point" in so faras it"lies thisside ofandbeyondwhatshe(themother/analyst)
says,ofwhat
she hintsat, of what she bringsout as meaning."'' In the indeterminancy
of the other's
desire, by plunginginto the gaps of silence in the analyst's discourse,the analysand
rediscoversthe indeterminant
truthof his own desire: thatit flowsfromthe primallack
caused by separation,thelack of thelostobject. At thepivotalpointat theend of analysis,
theobject and thelack it fillsare discoveredbeneaththeveneerof amorousidentification
witha privilegedOtherwhose refusalto reciprocateprovokespersistent,
chalhate-filled
lengesunmaskingthetruthof thepatient'sdemands.In thesame way,certain"blanks" in
thereadingof another'stextsarisesimultaneously
withthereader'ssymptoms
and withthe
the
intheOtherText. Theoryprogressesthrough elaboration
questioningof an insufficiency
ofthisencountermarkedwithnegativity.
This is trueinmanyfieldsofresearch,and itwould
be most surprisingif psychoanalysis,of whichtransference
is the theme,should be an
to
the
rule!
exception
When theleadersof the "FreudianCause" contemptuously
assail practicinganalysts,
transmissable
butalso
arguingfroma synthetic,
readingof Lacan, theylessenthedifficulty,
the import,of analytictheory.
Why not stickwithphilosophy?
That Lacan was never criticizedin the meetingsof Delenda demonstrates
thatthe
transferential
dimension
of
The
theoretical
work
was
foreclosed.
analytic,
unspokenhatred
thatresultedfromattempts
at theoretical
itself
in
transformation
expressed
politicswiththe
call to secession.
THE COUCH AND THE SEMINAR ROOM
Whatdoes itmeanto takepowerin thissituation?To assureoneselfofa clientele,or to

The questionis why,over the
speak and writein Lacan's name? All of that,inextricably.
fortheanalystsoftheFreudianSchool, butalso for
years,an "inextricable"was constituted
thosewho leftit in 1964 and 1969, oftenstillretaining
rancourmixedwith
inextinguishable
nostalgia.
Fromthe outside,thisis how the situationappeared:analystsbuilttheirlives around
Lacan. He was theiranalyst,withwhomtheyhad tohave resolvedtheirproblems,orto have
relatedthemto an insolublecore fromwhichtheytooktheirsustenance.He was also their
fortheirclinical
teacher,and theyfollowedtheSeminarovertheyears,seekingnourishment
ortheoretical
in thethought
oftheMaster,andalso hopingtocome acrossan
preoccupations
aside concerningthemselves.Lacan broughtpsychoanalytic
theoryand practiceout of its
intocontactwithlinguistics,
and methodology
rut,broughtitssubjectmatter
psychologizing
withtheSeminaron Identification,
and,morerecently,
1961-2).
philosophy,
logic(beginning
22
Ibid,p. 218-19.
100
David-Menard
He elaboratedhisprinciplesin continuousconfrontation
withFreud'stextson theone hand,
and on theotherwiththeEnglishand Americanpsychoanalytic
researchhe so vigorously
criticized.This opennessto culturequestionedeach listenerat thatpointwherehis or her
ownneurosisorpsychosiscouldeasilypass intothought
orwork.Butcuriously,thisrelation
to Lacan's teaching,which was avidly followedas it developed, has at the same time
sterilizedresearch:thedisorienting
formof his teachingwas a constantfrustration.
Lacan
detouredmeaningby his opaque speakingand writingstyle.The "open," non-dogmatic
natureof theteaching,"which is notpartof mypractice,butcomplements
it,"23 gave rise,
itcommanded,to themostextremedogmatism,passivity,and defenseof
bythefascination
establishedprofessionalpositions.
Lacan thoughthe would avoid the pitfallsof university
learningby correlatinghis
teachingand his analyses,and because he marginalizedor excludedthemedicalor univerthatoriginallyshelteredhisseminar:theSaintAnnepsychiatric
sityinstitutions
hospital,the
Ecole Normale Sup6rieure,and thenthe Law School adjacentto the Sorbonneand the
Pantheon.In hindsight,itcan be asked ifthismethodof teaching,ingeniousas it was, did
notreinforce
thepitfallsof all teachings,and perpetuate
a passive,spellboundrelationto the
discourseof an idealizedMaster.Everyacademiclearnssooneror laterhow difficult
itis to
developa lineofresearchifno demandsaremadeon it.The entireacademicsetting,withits
researchteams,pressurestopublish,itscongressesand scientific
meetings,masksandat the
same time reveals the,inherentdifficulties
of intellectualwork. Lacan's followersoften
avoided confronting
thisquestionby the weeklyfascinationof the master-analyst's
discourse,which,withadmirableardorand culture,gave each of theirproblemsoverarching
intellectualsignificancein thecontemporary
worldat large.
theconfusionina wayno
Again,itshouldbe madeclearthatLacan's successmultiplied
one foresaw.As long as Lacanians werefew in number,theirCongressesweretruework
remained
meetings.Of coursetheanalysis,thefriends,theclientele,thework,everything
attachedto Lacan, butin sucha way thatconflictscould nonethelessbe expressed.It was a
small group, veryvivacious, a littlemad, in which a certainvarietyof psychoanalytic
practicewas putto the testin an atmosphereof love, hate, servitude,and toil.
All theLacaniansoftheyearsbetween1950 and 1970willbearwitnessto it:therewas at
once dramaand play, and colloquia werethennotmerelymeetingfilledwithreverencefor
fortheoreticaladvance.24
Lacan, but were an opportunity
Thingstook anotherturnwhen Lacan's influencewas confirmedin the psychiatric,
philosophical,and academic worlds.The circleclosed as it widened.
Therehasappeared,
atleastinFranceoverthelastdecade,anideology
towhichthere
is
according
nobreaktobemadebetween
theanalytic
relation
andtherestofexistence,
becausepsychoanalysis is thejudgeofall, andcanbejudgedbynoone;thisis duetotheconstitution
ofan analytic
milieuwhereanalysts
andanalysands
associateonlywitheachother,speakthesamelanguage,
andhaveno otherculture
thanthatproduced
or transformed
bytheirownmilieu.25
- itattracted
The Lacanian schooldid notjustbringtogether
a circleoffriends
throngs.
to membersof the FreudianSchool, June10, 1980.
23 Lacan, Seminar-letter
Writingsdescribingthecrisisat handwerealreadybeginningto appear in 1973 in officialFreudianSchool

publications.Cf. "ContributionB l'6tude du mouvementpsychanalytique,"Scilicet, no. 4 (Seuil, 1973).
25 F.
Roustang,"Peut-etre" Le Monde, January19, 1980, p. 2.
24
101
It became an institution
like anyother,butcontinuednonethelessto functionas a groupof
butessentialall thesame- withthe
disciples,all claiminga relation- notquiteintimate
of
his
The
success
made Lacan's practice,that
excellence.
par
undertaking
Analyst
very
and
all themoreadmirable.His
the
of
his
and
seminar,
undefinable
complement
analyses
name became a fetishwhile the contoursof his textsand seminars,unpublishedand
numerous,were lost fromview.
increasingly
The way an analystlisteningto themaster-analyst
is touchedto thelevel of his fantasies
is notthesamewhentheMastersurrounds
himselfwithdiscipleslikea Greekphilosopher
as
whenhis wordsare spokenin an immensehall burstingwithvariousand sundrylisteners
seducedanddumbfounded
Lacan's discoursewas paradoxbytheshowofthesuper-analyst.
ical, and his crowd of analystsand admirerstook succorfromit as each saw fit.Lacan
challengedlimits;he exposed the unconsciousin a discoursewithscientificintent.His
listenerspouncedon the wordshe proffered.
By mixinglevels of discourse- however
withthecure,thepoliticalwith
ingeniously byconfusingtheteachingand theinstitution
in the vagariesof
the symbolic,he was condemninghis wordsto randomappropriation
when"a
transference.
As he himselfwrote,he dissolvedtheSchool because itis intolerable
is carefullyweighedis flippedtopsy-turvy."26But his own
teachingin whicheverything
to just such a result.
stylehad contributed
THE ANALYST'S DESIRE
I will give some examplesof theproteanfunction

thatthetransference
on Lacan was to
take.When,in 1975, I asked to becomea memberof theFreudianSchool, theanalystwith
whom I had an interviewasked me who my analystwas and in which workgroups I
participated.When I mentionedhavingresearchin progress,he had me disclose it to the
me to thedoor,he added a commentthatstruckme as
receptioncommittee.Accompanying
"And thenyouknow,itgoes through
I
which
but
quitemysterious,
today fullyunderstand.
Lacan."
AnothertimewhenI was discussingwriting
problemswitha friend(who had responsibilitieswithintheSchool), she said, "Then sendthetextto Lacan, sincethatis yourdesire."
In short,formanyanalysandsandyounganalysts,Lacan himselfwas crucialtothestudy
stateof his
on himnorthecurrent
of Lacan's texts.Althoughneithera personaltransference
inhis
no
contradiction
to
be
there
seemed
in
role
their
a
teachingsplayed prominent
training,
he
that
success
Lacan's
measures
of
of
the
a
one
It
is
doubt
to
their
efforts.
without
centrality
broughttogetherpeople who never came to know him personally,despite which the
forthem.It offereda workatmosphere
FreudianSchool remainedreceptiveand stimulating
in which,alongsideone's analysis,itwas possibletoexploretheproblemsinwhichone was
involved.
But curiously,forJ. A. Miller,thereis butone wayto be a Lacanian:theonlypaththat
in theFreudianSchool "is preciselytohave followedLacan in his
couldlead to membership
'organization,' to have desiredhisdirection,tohave paid thepriceofhisteaching- and in
But it is hardto institutionalize
morewaysthanone, to findoneselfwell taughtby that.""27
- and notjust any kind!- in theformof a government.
transference
26 Letter
5, 1980, publishedinLe Monde, January
by Lacan to membersof theFreudianSchool, datedJanuary
17, 1980, p. 13.
27
Plus Un, no. 2, January1980, p. 4. I will have moreto say on the meaningof thistextlater.
102
David-Menard
The problemof Lacan's teaching,of therelationbetweenhis professional

practiceand
the
of
his
his teachings,indicatesin a fundamental
that
failure
was
a productof
way
project
of limits,
whatwas morerelevantin it. Desire has an essentialrelationto thetransgression
and thisrelationwas at play in theway in whichLacan madeuse of theconfusionof levels:
the teachingand the cure, thepoliticaland thesymbolic.
Freudtookas his pointofdeparture
theirruptions
oftheunconscious:symptoms,
slipsof
thetongue,bungledactions.Lacan emphasizedthattheunconsciousanalyzesitselfwhenit
makesitspresencefelt,whenit-is"out of place,""2on foreignground.It is notfornothing
thatthedesireof theanalyst,withits particulardiscordance-effect,
became thenecessary
conditionforanalysis.Analyticallisteningcreatestransference,
or at theveryleast,radicalizes it by untyingthemooringsof speech. In everydayspeech,languageis mooredto the
concreteotherwho is addressed.In analysis,thisother,by notresponding,takes on the
of theimageof theOther(theideal totality
of the 'significantothers"
generalizedfunction
of thesubject'slife). Speech is freedfromtheanchorof intersubjectivity,
appearingas itis
the
narcissistic
discourse
of
to
and
borrowed
nature,
(addressed
from)the
by
essentially
internalized
Other.In normalspeechdesireis also actualized,alwayspresentbutdisowned.
The analyst'ssilence,theabsenceof his desirein anyfamiliarform,is a discordance-effect
whichluresthe analysand'sunconsciousforth.In the absence of the Other'sdesire,the
analysandsubstituteshis own, and entrapshimselfin an internaldialogue with it. It
eventuallybetraysits innermeaning,leadinghim back to theoriginalerrorof takingthe
Other'sdesireforhisown. It wouldbe vainto avoid sayingit. Lacan madehimselfclearon
thesubject;he did nothesitateto maketheunconsciousappearwhereitordinarily
does not
figure.
A THEATER OF THE UNCONSCIOUS
Since all desireis thedesireto know,whatLacan instituted

was a scene of knowledge
whichmobilizeddesiresin analysis.If his writings
are untranslatable,
and difficult
to read
even in French,it is because he attemptedto manifestthe rupturesthatthe unconscious
introducesin thethreadof discourse,and to practicethoseruptures
on the rostrum.
His analyticpracticefollowsthe same principle.It does notpreclude,at times,going
limits.Thiscould taketheformofthe
beyondwhatotheranalystsconsideruntransgressable
of
an
session
when
certain
or signifying
abruptadjournment
analytic
signifiers
complexes
fortheanalysandare at play- theinfamouspracticeof theshortsession,one of themajor
reasonscitedbytheInternational
Associationforrefusing
to certify
Lacan to
Psychoanalytic
teach.29Or it could taketheformof a joke made at a social gathering
one
including of his
analysands;or yetagain,a certainthemedevelopedin a seminarthatputone of his listeners
on thealert.This theatricaldimensionto interpretation
undoubtedly,
by its veryviolence,
28 Lacan, The Four Fundamental
Conceptsof Psychoanalysis,p. 96. and chapters7 and 8 generally.
2' The shortsessionis one of theways in whichtheLacanian analyst"punctuates"thediscourseof thepatient.
Ifa particularly
fecundunconsciouscomplexarises,theanalystmayend thesessionto keep itinrelief,ratherthan
Traditionalanalystsdo notvalue thedialecticsof
allowingitto be floodedoverby thefollowingrationalizations.
thepatient'slanguagein thesame way. For them,thepatientcan always be tolddirectlyby theanalystwhathis
discourseis "about," and the routineof a set fifty-minute
session is consideredimportant.Lacan's approach
seemed incomprehensible,
at worstthemarkof a quack, at bestan excuse forlazinessor a wasteof thepatient's
money.
103
createdthebest and the worstresults:it articulated

the Imaginary,theSymbolic,and the
Real in unexpurgated
thesubjectwithwhatis necessarilytraumatic
fashion,and confronted
in his desire. It claimed to put the unconsciousto workin a radical way, and sometimes
succeeded admirably.
But the entireproblemcrystallizesaroundthe word "admirable." Many analystsin
of Lacanian practicethattheycame to desire,
trainingwere so seduced by theoriginality
more thananythingin the world,to imitatehim and make his example the law of their
whathe said, his analyanalyticpractice.Insteadof workingon and eventuallycriticizing
sands were attractedby the lure of trauma.To be trainedin analysiswithLacan was to
limits.ThatLacan sometimesworkedbymakinghimselfthe
acquiretheartoftransgressing
clownoftheunconsciouswas fineand good. Butan appallingcaricatureofthisimaginative
clowningwas attainedsome monthsago: certainanalystsgroupedunderthebannerof the
"Freudian Cause," apparentlyconvincedtheywere held aloftby the winds of History,
authorizedthemselvesto conductshortsessions as thoughit were the veryessence of
Lacanian being- and theyspeak of thatas theirultimateconquest!
TO STAGE THE UNCONSCIOUS OR TO MASTER THE HETEROGENEOUS?
Lacan broughtpsychoanalysisout of its rutby staginga kindof theaterof theunconscious. In tryingto institutionalize
thattheater,Lacan foundhis footing;his aim was to
without
manifest
theunconscious,and he succeededall too well. He unleashedtransference
of
levels
that
It
was
this
confusion
able
to
it
would
remain
assure
congenial
being
analyzable.
wentawry,in thepoliticalrealmas well.
In 1907, when Freud dissolved the circle thatmet each Wednesdayeveningin his
he severeda certainnumberof transferential
impassesand conflictsin whichhe
apartment,
even thoughthe
himselfwas caught;theeffectsweredecisiveforsomeof his colleagues,30
in
Lacan
When
1964
did
of
a
association.
not
have
the
dimensions
wrote,"I
group
political
cause as I have everbeenherebyfound- as alone in myrelationto thepsychoanalytic
theFreudianSchool of Paris . .. "3' thisdeclarationcould be heardas a symbolicinitia.
tive,a mythicact. Here,to organizetheunconsciouswas to occupythemythicalpositionof
thesymbolic.But theact
thefatherof theprimalhorde,to approachthehistoricalthrough
of thosetwo registers,notbecause theLacanians
was also thedenial of theheterogeneity
were withintheirdemocraticrightsin claimingthe FreudianSchool as theirown, but
of
because Lacan, by his verystyle,prohibitedhimselffromconceivingtheheterogeneity
thedomainswithinwhichhe was acting,domainsin no way coextensivewiththeunconscious.
of thisquestion.It was initiallyon the
antecedents
It is possibleto tracethetheoretical
basis oftheworkofL6vi-Strauss,withhisconceptionoftheSymbolic,thatLacan attempted
todefinetheimpositionofthelaw in theunconsciousinrelationto whatstructures
societies.
A harmoniousbridge,buttressedin the Symbolic,seemedto connecttheorderof unconscious signifierswhich determinedthe subject's positionin the familywiththe kinship
systemthatallowed a societyto be describedas a systemofexchangeof womenand goods.
30 On Freud's unanalyzedviolencetowardshis disciples,whichaffectedthe lifeand deathof psychoanalytic
associations,cf. Roustang,Un Destin sifuneste(Minuit, 1976).
31 "Excommunication," supplementto no. 8, Ornicar.
104
David-Menard
L6vi-Strausswas to approachitfroma different

Afterwards,
takingas hispoint
perspective,
of departurethe Real of the unconsciousas symbolicresidue.What we call realityis a
whichis to say of theImaginary,and thetraumais theonly
productof ourrepresentations,
inrelationto social formsofthe
Real recognizedbyLacan. This boils downto notsituating,
real,theReal withwhichtheanalysisis in contact.It amountsto treating
anyrealityas the
of discourse,on the model suggestedfortherealmof desire. In bothcases,
impossibility
idea thata societyis nothing
restsintheendon thefundamental
more"real" than
everything
a symbolicsystem,or thatsocial relationsand theabstractsystemof social ties are one.
is governedexclusivelybywords:"I hereby
Thatis also whyhe thinksthatan institution
found. . . I herebydissolve." Symbolicinitiativedoes notencompassthelaw of a social
Lacan claimed to articulate,throughthe
grouping,whose workingsare ratherdifferent.
mythicpointhe was making,the laws of thegroupimplicatedby his act.
He couldnotrecognizethemeaningof hisfailure,andthepersistent
ofthe
heterogeneity
effort
ofdestruction.
He would
symbolicand thepoliticalhas engagedhiminan unremitting
have liked to effect,simultaneously,
a symbolicinitiativeand the electoraldeathof the
FreudianSchool.
the unconsciousin realmswhereit does not
Since his geniusconsistsin manifesting
orrather
he couldnot
usuallyfigure,Lacan couldnotresolvetodeal withtheheterogeneous,
resolvenotto control,'at thesame timeand bythesame heterogeneity,
therealmsin which
he acts.
WHERE WILL THE GAME END?
One of themeaningsof thelegal arbitration

soughtby the28 analystswas certainlyto
remindeveryonethatthereis an outsideto thefieldof theunconscious.Whatwas astonishof
ingwas theLacan's followersfoundnothingamusingin it;afterall, itwas onlythereturn
a letterto its sender. Why not considerit a grotesqueand congenial interpretation?
If
can make use of any raw material,whywould thelegal be excluded?How
interpretation
could J. A. Millerdenouncethecourtactionwithunparalleledemotion,condemningitas a
cannotburn
publicdisgrace?Whatare thelimitsof thegame?And if,in fact,interpretation
on anyfuel,does thatnotrequirea re-examination
of thisveryconfusionof levels, which
incontestably
bringsout the normallyhiddenfieldof the unconscious,but in a way that
producessomethingunanalyzablein its transferential
play withina group?
Recently,in theseminaraddressedas a lettertoall themembersof theFreudianSchool,
andsentthedaybeforethevote,Lacan declaredthathe was tiredofplayingon theconfusion
of levels. He flew offto a conventionin Caracas, meditating
upon thesewords: "It will
interestme to see whathappenswhen my presenceis not thereto screenwhat I teach.
Perhapsmy 'matheme'will be thebetterforit.)"32
A curiousremarkforan analystwho foundedhis workon theartof linkinghis teaching
and itsinstitution
to transference!
Is notthisappeal to "mathemes"just an avoidanceofthe
task at hand, an attemptto freethe transmission
of his teachingfromthe effectsof the
how his analytic
transference
upon whichit was built?The task at hand is to understand
practice,whichindeed keeps the unconsciousfromgettinglost, is frustrated
by its very
successes.
32
Seminarletterof June10, 1980, op.cit.
105
IS DESIRE MYSTICAL IN PRINCIPLE, PERVERSE IN PRACTICE?
Lacan undertookthe returnto Freud by makingdesire and perversionagainst the

thatthechildis
questionof theday. Afterall, psychoanalysisbegan withtheaffirmations
Lacan added: "What is at issue in the
polymorphously
perverse,and desireindestructible.
that
driveis finallyrevealedhere- thecourseof thedriveis theonlyformof transgression
is permitted
to thesubjectin relationto thepleasureprinciple,"and thuson to theessential
thepleasureprinciplebecause thedeathinstinct
narcissismof love. The drivetransgresses
always has a prominentrole in it (Lacan prefersthe term"drive" to "instinct" as a
of "Trieb" because thelattercarriesbiologicalconnotations
he wishesto avoid).
translation
The driveis essentiallyregressive,a compulsionto reunitewiththelostobject,to relivethe
perceivedplenitudeenjoyedbeforethetraumaof separation.Thatmythictimeofunbounded
pleasureis oftenequivalentin theunconscioustothetimebeforethefirstseparationfromthe
withnothingness,
and thedrive
mother,thetimebeforebirth.Plenitudebecomesidentified
is towarddeath.The ego is themechanismbuiltupontheemotionaleffectsof separation,
and functions
to enforcethesubject'scompliancewiththe"realityprinciple"thatsays that
reunification
willneverbe achieved.Itsstructures
becomeobstacles,targetsinthetrajectory
tendenciestowardtheself(or, as in
of thedrive,objectsof thedeathinstinct'sdestructive
sadism,theOtherwhose specularpresenceis at thebasis of the self).
Freudsaid thattheobjectof a driveis itsmostvariableelement,and thatitcan changein
thecourseof thedrive'sdestiny"as oftenas one likes."33Lacan saysthattheobjectcan be
is just one
that"it is, strictlyspeaking,of no importance."34 This indifference
anything,
of
absence
the
the
structure
built
of
a
void:
the
irremediable
makes
object
aspect a hollow,
drive
thanthesubstitute
the
later
aroundit, thecircuitof thedrive,moreimportant
objects
is a kindof imprint
oftheformofthelostobjectthatkeepsitpresent
encircles.The structure
becomes an end in itself.
(if onlynegatively),and its reactivation
He describesmorepreciselythanFreudthestatusof thefetish,whichbecomes all the
moreridiculous.It is nothingbuta fillerforthevoid, fortheradicalabsenceof theoriginal
objectof desire.It is a signifierforthephallus,which,as the"copulatory,"themarkerof
union, becomes the symbolwhose presencedenies separation.Since it is the mother's
presencethatis lost in thetraumaof separation,she becomes, by symbolicnecessity,the
whose ritesconstitutea
possessor of the phallus. The fetishistis a phallus-worshipper
fromotherformsof
a
with
the
mother
of
union
religiononlydistinguished
religion mystic
for
is
of
its
the
Lacan,
object. Desire,
mysticalin principleand
transparency
mysticism
by
in
perverse practice.
thesewordsintoa
I wonderif,in theFreudianSchool of Paris,we have nottransformed
sortof sinister,communalcertitudeinsteadof puttingthemto thetestof psychoanalytic
practice.Lacanians are fondof sayingand writingto each otherthat"thereis no objectof
desire,onlyman who desires."35It is said thatin proclaimingas a groupthatdesirehas no
object,analystsareconsolingthemselvesforthatveryfactbytheirdiscourseandknowledge
of theircondition.
is fleetingand is significant
If theobjectof a driveis variable,sexual satisfaction
by its
Cf. "Instinctsand theirVicissitudes," StandardEditionof the worksof Freud, Vol. 14, pp. 111-117.
The Four FundamentalConceptsof Psychoanalysis,pp. 168 and 180.
35PierreLegendre,"Le Recoursia Dieu," Critique,no. 392, January1980, pp. 73-5.
33
34
106
David-Menard
veryprecariousness.Of course,therecan alwaysbe otherobjects,butin relationto a certain

So, they
object,a certainsubjectrisksa greatdeal: therealizationor failureofa satisfaction.
justproclaimthatitalwaysfails.Everybody,then,is at thesame impasse,andwe can create
a discourseon failure!Satisfactionis stillattainable,foris notall desire,afterall, onlythe
desireto know'?Indeed,thepresenceof thewordis a substitute
forthedesiredobject. In its
firstgameswithlanguage,thechildwillfullyrejectstheobject,gleefully"murdering"itby
as
makingitdisappear.The childreplacesitby itsname,a manipulablelinguisticsubstitute,
ofthedeathinstinct;
a wayof makingitsabsencecontrollable.The game is a function
itis a
in favorof thejoy of dominating
theobjectwhosecomingsand
renunciation
of satisfaction
slidingfromone wordto another,is a
goingscause such anxiety.Speech, as a metonymic
perpetualfillingof thevoid of theobject, theverymechanismof desire.All desireis in a
sense a desireto know, to findthe definitiveword. This wordwould be the phallus,the
signifierof signifiers,were it not the mostradicallyemptyof wordsby virtueof its very
excess of meaning.The phallus is theprototypeof theWord of God.
The seductionworkedbyLacanian discoursecould be explainedin thisway: It displays
the encounterof perversesexualitywith mysticalsexuality,and gives all formsof the
of fulfillment
theprivilegeof privacy- courtlylove, hysterical
attainment
refusal,mysticism.
Also, Lacan knowswell thaton theissueofdrives,his "return"toFreudis a debatewith
to a Lacanianheterodoxy
him.My purposeis notto oppose a Freudianorthodoxy
(afterall,
perhapsLacan is rightand notFreud),butto size up thedebateinsteadof simplyadulating
theMaster.
I stressthatthedriveis notperversion.
Whatconstitutes
theenigmatic
character
of Freud's
"Instincts
and
their
derivesprecisely
from
thefactthathewishes
(in
Vicissitudes")
presentation
- inwhichthesubjectis notyetpositioned.
togiveus a radicalstructure
On thecontrary,
what
definesperversion
is precisely
thewayin whichthesubjectis positioned
in it.36
Lacan thusresolveswhathe mapsoutas an enigmainthetextoftheOtherhe questions:
whereFreudseparatedthemodelof thedrivefromitsperverse(voyeuristic
or masochistic)
theculmination
and realizationofthedrive:theperverse
mode,Lacan makestheperversion
short-circuits
thedrive'spathbypinningitdownatthepointthatitleavestheobjecttoreturn
to theerogenouszone insteadof allowingitto lose itspathin the"defilesof thesignifier."
In voyeurism,the subjectseeks to recapturethe momentat whichthe look of the other
catcheshimlooking.The voyeurtriesto makehimselftheobjectofthedrivehe is motivated
and coincidingwiththatdrive(beingseen is a forbidden
by,at thesame timesatisfying,
act,
at thesame timetheforbidden
objectis seen). He makeshimselfintoa double-edgedlookin
a conflagration
of shame,as ifhe wishedto be at theveryheartof thepleasureprincipleof
sight. To be an exhibitionistis to "se faire voir" ("make oneself seen," or "to be
expelled"). The aim is to provokea reactionthatmakeshimthesubjectand objectof his
driveatthesametime:a reactionoffear(whichdemonstrates
thathiswill,whathisaim is, is
an unknownquantity,thereforeprovinghis subjectivity);and one of disgustor moral
or objectifying
him- makinghim an object negativelyjudged, exoutrage(petrifying,
pelledfromthefieldof desireliketheobjectmurdered
bythewordhe seeksto retrieve).He
demandsfromtheothertheproofthathe is indeedthelookthatsees, evenifthatmeansbeing
caught,petrifiedby the look he seeks to be.
36 The Four Fundamental
Concepts,pp. 181-2.
107
In thesame way, in thefantasy"a childis beingbeaten," studiedbyFreud,themoment

of masochisticpleasureis when the subjectcoincides withthe actionof beating.She is
reducedto hersign,thewhipor therod. To be a masochistis to be therodthatgivesoneself
pain, to coincide withtheprincipleof thedrive.
Thereare twostepsin thisanalysis.First,theshort-circuiting
oftheobjectand thedrive
whichgives thesubjectpleasure:theprocessis turnedback on theself,a partof whichis
identified
withtheobject. Afterwards,
the
thereis subjectification
proper:whatconstitutes
driveis theway in whichthesubjectpositionshimself,at firstacephalous,in itscircuit.In
thescenes studied,theotherwho beats is preciselytheplaceholderof theOther,thatis to
say, in this case, of the process of the drive itself.The "Other" always has multiple
meanings:it is thatfunctionaltotalityof the "significantothers"of thesubject'slife,the
itis theunconscious,thenon-selfwithinthesubject;it
productofsuccessiveidentifications;
is language,theplace oftheOtherintheformofitslinguistic
ofthe
tracesandthetransmitter
social determinations
of otherspast and present.In perversions,privilegedothersare
addressedas thoughthey were the Other incarnate;the pervertis addressinghis.own
unconscious.The relationwiththefirstsignificant
other,themother,is markedby pain as
wellas pleasure.Herleavingthechildis perceivedas punishment,
ofthe
andtheprominence
has as its ultimatereferencethe
fantasyof beating,as all sado-masochisticmanifestions,
mother.It is a returnto theproblematicof presenceand absence at therootof language.
"The pervertis he who . . integrates
as subject
in themostprofoundway hisfunction
withhis existenceas desire.'3"" Not only does perversionrealize the drive,effectuateits
of subjectification
morethanthat,theperversedriveis theprototype
sealingin satisfaction;
because it assures contactbetweenthe drive and the alienationof the speakingsubject
formedin theOther,an alienationthatis in essence different
froma drive.
The importanceof theSymbolicorderin Lacanian thoughtfindsitsmeaninghere:the
is he who identifies
himas a subject,and
bestwiththesignifying
chainthatmanifests
pervert
makes him disappearlike an object of meaning.
simultaneously
This subjectification
is paradoxical:thesubjectin itsdoublenatureis onlycreatedwhen
theSymbolicswoops downon it. In theFreudianSchool, thesetermsbecame pass-words:
signifyinggap, splitting,rift.The theoryof the splittingof the subject at the root of
withtheother,becomesdistancedand
language,in whichone partof thepsyche,identified
treats(or mistreats)
theselfas itsobject,amountsto theapplicationof thesado-masochistic
model to theoverallrelationof the subjectto theOther.
Let us rereadJ. A. Miller's texton Lacanian truths:
- theyarenot
Thosewhodistinguish
arenotlacking
ofLacanfrom
hisorganization
theteachings
intheFreudian
as muchas we,
theEcritsortheSeminars
School.Thesearepeoplewhomaystudy
butwhoareafraidofgetting
rod.Verygood.Theyarefreetodo as they
a tasteoftheDirector's
oftheFreudian
on
someone
whowishedtobea member
the
please.What,
distinguished
contrary,
hisdirection,
School?Itisprecisely
tohavedesired
tohavefollowed
Lacaninhis"organization,"
- and,inmanyways,tohaveendedupbeinginstructed
tohavepaidthepriceofhisteaching
by
thatas well.38
Millerhas read Lacan well.
37The Four FundamentalConcepts, p. 206.
8
Plus Un, no. 2, p. 4.
108
David-Menard
Withone exception:whereone would expect to read "and to have ended up being

analyzed by thatas well," he writes"instructed."The importanceLacan accords the
structure
as themodelof theculmination
of thedriveand as the
perversesado-masochistic
order,functionshere in the
paradigmof the relationsof the subject to the signifying
confusionof levels in thisanalysis- teachingand politicalorganizationtake on sadomasochisticovertones.
J. A. Milleris indeeda sympton
of Lacan - hissymptomand nothingmore.I said that
mode:he
toanotherina theatrical
Lacan, theanalyst,passedfromthebordersofone register
wishedtomanifest
theunconsciousinorderto showthattheessenceofdesireis inrelationto
notnormalization,
whichis adornedwiththenarcissismof love: "I suggest
transgression,39
thatthereis a radicaldistinction
betweenlovingoneselfthroughtheother- which,in the
narcissisticfieldof theobject, allows no transcendence
to theobject included- and the
of thedrive,in whichtheheterogeneity
of themovementout and back showsa
circularity
theanalystfrom"burningany
gap in itsinterval."40Thatwas thereasonfornotpreventing
fuel" in interpretation,
in any case fromusinga fuelotherthanthenormalone.
This openness could remaina theaterto the extentthatwhat Lacan put forthwas
workedon byLacanians,hisanalysands,collaborators,
andaudience.Whenone
effectively
thatitis notfor
goes to thetheater,evenifitis notthetheaterofcruelty,itis wellunderstood
real. Whenone lives in theanalysisof theexperienceof alienationas terror
and passion
whichbecomeall themoreviolentwhentheycannotbe expressed- itis alwaysevidentthat
itis all notentirely
real. And Lacan did notpreventhis analysandsfromcontinuing
to know
thattheywere,all thesame, at thetheater.Thatis fromanalyzingtransference,
be itat the
priceof a momentof rupture.
But Miller is nota man of thetheater.And thecommittee,"DissolutionWork," had
of the unconsciousany longer.
nothingto do withthepresentation
He is a manofpolitics,as his organizingactivitiesat theUniversity
of Vincennesshow.
For him,itis a matterofteachingtherelationsofdesireto transgression,
to inculcatethem,
notto analyze them.The theatricalscene is obliterated.
The "Miller tendency"thattookpowerin the"FreudianCause" withLacan's official
sanction,is thena symptomof whatwentawrywithLacan himselfwhenhe succeeded.
To take the relationshipof desire to transgression
into account in analyticpractice
attracted
in
and
he
didn't
to
do
with
know
what
them
crowds,
exceptto insultthemregularly
hisseminars.All themorefuriously,
before
this
was
lost
because
the
unconscious
doubtless,
spellboundtheatricalaudience. He knew it, withoutbeing able to reversethe process,
perhapsunableto accept entirelythereasonsforit.
A QUESTION TO ASK
AND TO RESOLVE
We will notcome out of thiscrisisby continuing

to adulateLacan's discourse,norby
desiringto be his rod - but in criticizinghim, especiallyon the questionof desireand
perversion.This question, so centralto psychoanalysis,is given a prominentplace by
theworldover- themembersoftheInternational
Lacan, whilepsychoanalysts
PsychoanalyticAssociation- pretendto ignoreit.
19Cf. The Four FundamentalConcepts,p. 183.
The Four FundamentalConcepts, p. 183.
41)
109
It is decisiveforthedirectionof thecure:just as theobjectof thedriveis, accordingto

so too thedesireof theanalyst,theobjectof transference
in thecure,
Lacan, indifferent,
remainsan unknownquantityforthe analysand.In "The Four FundamentalConceptsof
Psychoanalysis"Lacan says at one and the same time:
- thatthereisaninternal
between
thedesireoftheanalyst
the
relation
andthedesirethatunderlies
demandofthepatient,
and,
- thatthedesireoftheanalystremainsan unknown
quantity.
This unknowablein thedesireoftheOtherfulfillstwofunctions.
It provokesthesubject
to sacrifice,whichis an incontrovertible
in thesame waythatthe
dimensionoftransference
firstobjectthattheinfantoffersto parentaldesire,or of whichtheobjectis unknown,is his
own loss. The child's desireis a lostobject,so he offershisown absenceinorderto coincide
withthedesirehe senses in theOtherhe wishesto "seduce." "The fantasyof one's death,
of one's disappearance,is the firstobject thatthe subjecthas to bringintoplay" in the
dialecticof love.41
But the unknowablefor Lacan goes back to the annulled,what is dead or always
elsewhere,themurderedobject. By notrespondingwhentheanalysandquestionsthepoint
of lack perceivedin theOther,theanalysandmakespossibletheenunciation
ofthesubject's
desire.But is itconceivableto see thefaultin theOtherifit is seen through
thefaultsin an
other?The psychoanalyst
structure
of
makesdeathappear. Is thatto say thatthesignifying
desireguaranteesthatdesire is always elsewhere,nevercaught?
Does thedesireoftheanalystremainan unknownquantity,
ordoes nottheanxietyatthe
termination
of an analysishave to do withthemythof theOtherundoingitselfbecause the
desireof an otherappears?
Can theanalyst'sdirectionof thecure stillbe called nothingmorethana "transference
maneuver"?Or does it manifesta kindof desireafterall?
If Lacan proclaimsthatthedesireof theanalystremainsan unknownquantity,it is not
forwantof tellingus his! He does so in a formidableappeal to turnaroundthe law that
sustainsperversedesireto theend.
"One can contentoneselfto be Otherlikeeveryoneelse, aftera lifespentwantingtobe it
in spiteof the Law."'42
a
"The analyst'sdesireis nota puredesire. It is a desireto obtainabsolutedifference,
thesubjectis, forthe
desirewhichintervenes
withtheprimarysignifier,
when,confronted
ofa limitless
firsttime,ina positionto subjecthimselfto it.Thereonlymaythesignification
love emerge,because it is outsidethe limitsof law, wherealone it may live."'4
Does thisgive the formulaforall desire?
situationofFrenchpsychoJacquesLacan died in thesummerof 1981. The institutional
outlined
the
events
above. The mediaechoed,
determined
has
remained
by
largely
analysts
the admiration,the love and hatred,whichLacan had arousedin theanalyticalmilieuand
also in thewiderfieldof culture.His deathsignifiedtheend of a wholeepoch, butnotthe
end of the crisisin Frenchpsychoanalysis.
During 1980-1981 and afterthedissolutionof the FreudianSchool of Paris, thegreat
4' Ibid, p. 214.
Lacan, Seminarof January15, 1980, op. cit.

43The closing lines of The Four FundamentalConcepts.
42
110
David-Menard
majorityof Lacanian analystsdistancedthemselvesfromthegrouparoundJacques-Alain

Miller. As is traditionalin divorce proceedings,the real conflictsbroke out over the
inthiscase the"properties"oftheFreudianSchool.
ofproperty,
separationand distribution
Everyoneclaimed allegianceto Lacan and his basic ideas, buttreatedeveryoneelse as an
ofthenewFreudianCause, CharlesMelman,accusedhisown
imposter.One ofthedirectors
analysandJacques-AlainMillerpubliclyand in writingof beinga plagiaristand of having
written
a wholeseriesofpublicmessagesoverLacan's nameat a timewhenthelatterwas no
longerphysicallywell enoughtbhave composedthem.Melman'sbreakwithMillerand his
alliance withotherdissidentsfinallyswayedthe majorityof thoseLacanian psychiatrists,
decisive momentwas
philosophers,and psychologistswho were stillhesitating.A further
the closing of the St. Anne hospitalto Miller and his seminars.(Lacan's own clinical
been made there.)Still, Miller's FreudianCause retained
had traditionally
presentations
both
in the university
and in thepublishingindustry.
institutional
powerful
support,
the
dissidents
continued
to
Meanwhile, original
organizestudygroupsand to publisha
with
But
a
new
kind
of
institution
has also emerged:called the
a
clinical
orientation.
journal
members
of
all
thisis a
of
and
to
psychoanalytic
organizations,
College Psychoanalysts open
is
of
whose
basis
less
that
of
the
and
formation
analysts,as
professional
training
organization
hitherto
in previousgroups,thana focuson theplace of analysisin social lifegenerally.
The question,however,remainsthatof thedynamicof such groups,new and old, of
theirrelationshipto the Law and to the processdescribedby Freudhimselfin Totemand
Taboo, andoftheinnernecessityof suchdissolutions,schisms,diasporas,andindeedofthe
need forthe formationof psychoanalyticsocieties in the firstplace. The historyof the
FreudianSchool of Paris tendsto show thatsuch institutionalization
necessarilyleads to
is
in
and
casts
on
whether
what
doubt
failure,
reallyproductive analysiscan be developedin
such forms.The solitudeof theanalyticprocessitselfobviouslydemandscertainformsof
likean analyticmilieu,with
associationand sociabilityamonganalysts,demandssomething
and
collective
work:
here
too
the
unconscious
rather
thantheinstitution
meetings
yet
mustremainat workand mustconstantlybe reproblematized
the
themselves.
by
analysts
Some such realization,now increasinglywidespread,will have been one of the positive
resultsof theorganizationalstrugglesof the last few years.
TranslatedbyBrian Massumi
LacaniansAgainstLacan
111
BIBLIOGRAPHYOF ENGLISH SOURCES ON LACAN

Lacan, Jacques.lEcrits,A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan.New York: Norton,1977. An abridged
editionof Lacan's seminalwork.
Lacan, Jacques. The Four FundamentalConceptsof Psychoanalysis.Trans. Alan Sheridan.New
York: HogarthPress, 1977. Transcript
of theSeminarof 1964. Much moreapproachablethanthe
Ecrits.
of Lacan's best
Wilden,Anthony.The Language of theSelf. New York: Delta, 1968. A translation
knownarticle,'"The Functionand Field of Speech Language in Psychoanalysis,"withnumerous
notesand an extendedcommentary.
Schneiderman,Stuart,ed. and trans.Returningto Freud: Clinical Psychoanalysisin theSchool of
Lacan. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1980. The onlyEnglishsourceof clinicalwritings
by
Lacanians. Containsarticlesby twoof themainactorsin therecentdebates(CharlesMelmanand
Michble Montrelay).
The Language of Psychoanalysis.Trans. MicholsonLaplanche, Jean & Pontalis,Jean-Bertrand.
Smith.New York: Norton,1974. A dictionary
ofFreudianterminology
tracingthedevelopmentof
each conceptthroughthe worksof Freud. Many entriesincludean explanationof the Lacanian
usage. Well referenced.
Lemaire,Anika. Jacques Lacan. Boston: Routledgeand Kegan Paul, 1977. The mostusefulsingle
introduction
to the thoughtof Lacan.
Politics: Freud's FrenchRevolution.New York:Basic Books, 1978.
Turkle,Sherry.Psychoanalytic
A sociological studyof the historyof psychoanalysissince Lacan.
"'French Freud: StructuralStudies in Psychoanalysis." Yale French Studies, no. 48, 1972. A
collectionof major articlesby and about Lacan.
''Literatureand Psychoanalysis:The Questionof Reading- Otherwise." Yale FrenchStudies,no.
55/56, 1977. Literaryapplicationsof Lacanian theory.

Lacanians Against Lacan

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Lacanians Against Lacan

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Lacanians Against Lacan

Author(s): Monique David-Menard and Brian Massumi

PUBLIC DISGRACE OR RECOGNITION OF A CRISIS?

Since September,1979, thepsychoanalysts

This expressionof Lacan's, quoted by him, appearedin the foundingstatement

judicial thatLacan's pretensionto lay down the law exemplified,a confusionwhich,

symbolicscreenfortheprimalhorde(thoughit was also that,as eventshave shown),and

theopposingcamps. Later, I will discuss at lengththiscall forsecessioninaugurated

To listento theleadersoftheFreudianCause, thiswas theappointedhourfortheoretical

Plus Un (thejournal of the "cartels" of the FreudianSchool), no. 2, pp. 5-6.

'5 Plus Un, no. 1, p. 9.

it to punctuatehis speeches to the Romans. Carthagewas destroyed.

"Primal repression" is contemporaneouswiththe child's accession to language. It

of union.)The phallusis identified

attachedto its signifiers,as timepasses becomingprogressively

"hollow" formedby theabsentobject "murdered"by thesymbol,leftbehind,embedded

Up to now, I have held to thehypothesisthatthetheoreticaldebatewas informed

The theoreticalproblemsencounteredin thetextshave a vitalrelationto thepractical

Whatdoes itmeanto takepowerin thissituation?To assureoneselfofa clientele,or to

Writingsdescribingthecrisisat handwerealreadybeginningto appear in 1973 in officialFreudianSchool

I will give some examplesof theproteanfunction

The problemof Lacan's teaching,of therelationbetweenhis professional

Since all desireis thedesireto know,whatLacan instituted

createdthebest and the worstresults:it articulated

L6vi-Strausswas to approachitfroma different

One of themeaningsof thelegal arbitration

Seminarletterof June10, 1980, op.cit.

IS DESIRE MYSTICAL IN PRINCIPLE, PERVERSE IN PRACTICE?

Lacan undertookthe returnto Freud by makingdesire and perversionagainst the

veryprecariousness.Of course,therecan alwaysbe otherobjects,butin relationto a certain

In thesame way, in thefantasy"a childis beingbeaten," studiedbyFreud,themoment

Withone exception:whereone would expect to read "and to have ended up being

We will notcome out of thiscrisisby continuing

It is decisiveforthedirectionof thecure:just as theobjectof thedriveis, accordingto

Lacan, Seminarof January15, 1980, op. cit.

majorityof Lacanian analystsdistancedthemselvesfromthegrouparoundJacques-Alain

BIBLIOGRAPHYOF ENGLISH SOURCES ON LACAN

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