Lacan in Italy: Clinic, Politics, Aesthetics

This book provides the first analysis of the reception and development of Lacanian psychoanalysis in Italy, offering a comprehensive account of the relevance and contributions of Italian Lacanians. It examines Italian Lacanianism through its distinctive engagement with clinical practice, sociopolitical analysis, and aesthetics, highlighting the work of influential figures such as Sergio Benvenuto and Massimo Recalcati. Lacan in Italy proposes a nuanced understanding of how Italian Lacanians reinterpret Lacan’s legacy, advancing an affirmative approach to the notion of the real - often conceptualised in negative terms as traumatic, impossible, unrepresentable, and unsymbolisable - by emphasising its generative, life-affirming potential. The book also fosters dialogue with Lacanian receptions across different countries and languages.

Luca Di Gregorio is Senior Teaching Fellow in Medical Education in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton, UK, and Deputy Director of the Southampton Centre for Medical and Health Humanities.