Introduction

This chapter begins by situating the central argument of this collection in Winnicott’s use of ruthlessness as one aspect of non-compliance. It suggests that ruthlessness extends to Winnicott’s demands of his readers. The chapter argues that there is a valuable distinction to be made between ruthlessness as “zest” or spontaneous demand for recognition, and the defensive use of ruthlessness to avoid intersubjective connection. Exploration of these themes constitutes the first three chapters of the book. The importance of ruthlessness in decolonial protest movements is the focus of the second part of the book. Using the work of Winnicott and Fanon, these chapters explore the complex relationships between organizational turmoil and individual trauma, shifts of consciousness created by protest movements, the place of representation in social change, and the decolonial project in relation to psychoanalytic theory and practice.