Perversion and the Social Relation: sic IV

[sic] #4

by Molly Anne Rothenberg (Editor), Dennis A. Foster (Editor), Slavoj Žižek (Editor)

The masochist, the voyeur, the sadist, the sodomite, the fetishist, the pedophile, and the necrophiliac all expose hidden but essential elements of the social relation. Arguing that the concept of perversion, usually stigmatized, ought rather to be understood as a necessary stage in the development of all non-psychotic subjects, the essays in Perversion and the Social Relation consider the usefulness of the category of the perverse for exploring how social relations are formed, maintained, and transformed.By focusing on perversion as a psychic structure rather than as aberrant behavior, the contributors provide an alternative to models of social interpretation based on classical Oedipal models of maturation and desire. At the same time, they critique claims that the perverse is necessarily subversive or liberating. In their lucid introduction, the editors explain that while fixation at the stage of the perverse can result in considerable suffering for the individual and others, perversion motivates social relations by providing pleasure and fulfilling the psychological need to put something in the place of the Father. The contributors draw on a variety of psychoanalytic perspectives—Freudian and Lacanian—as well as anthropology, history, literature, and film. From Slavoj Zizek’s meditation on “the politics of masochism” in David Fincher’s movie Fight Club through readings of works including William Styron’s The Confessions of Nat Turner, Don DeLillo’s White Noise, and William Burroughs’s Cities of the Red Night, the essays collected here illuminate perversion’s necessary role in social relations.

Contributors. Michael P. Bibler, Dennis A. Foster, Bruce Fink, Octave Mannoni, E. L. McCallum, James Penney, Molly Anne Rothenberg, Nina Schwartz, Slavoj Zizek

Genres: Philosophy

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2003

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In order to be a part of the world people must in some way be representative of a perversion. I think there is an argument for the select few that aren't in the category of perverse, but that is a topic for another book, I suppose. We are who we are based on who we aren't. There isn't really anything new about that idea, but what is new is the suggestion that it is the "freak factor" that actually unites us all into the family of humanity. Suddenly crazy Uncle Lou has a place in the world, and he had it the whole time!

[Tobias Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A valuable collection considering the social uses of perversion, mostly (although not entirely) from a lacanian register. The piece by James Penney is particularly good.