Introduction

Patriarchy and Its Discontents: A Psychoanalytic Perspective is an interdisciplinary exploration of one of psychoanalysis’ most important and provocative areas of examination. Nearly 100 years since the publication of Freud's “Civilization and its Discontents,” this anthology of interviews and essays, joins luminaries in contemporary psychoanalysis with pioneers of feminism to consider anew the questions at the heart of Freud's groundbreaking examination of the relationship between the psyche and society. A play on the title of Freud's seminal work, by naming the system of oppression that was hitherto obscured, Patriarchy and Its Discontents expands on the radical implications of Freud's writing while also challenging the conservatism at its core. Interpersonal psychoanalytic practice and theory understand that the socio-political and intrapsychic are inextricably linked. From this perspective, contributors use psychoanalysis as a tool to demystify and even dismantle patriarchy, while also examining how our theories, practices, and institutions have been implicated in it. The issues under examination here include important and often under-theorized topics such as: the work of black women psychoanalysts, patriarchal enactments within the trans-community, the influence of unconscious dynamics on patriarchal dynamics and structures, the impacts of patriarchy on diverse patient populations, and ways to address this clinically. Addressing the ongoing political crisis in the United States and throughout the late capitalist world, and broadening recognition of the intersecting evils of patriarchy and white supremacy, this collaboration of voices from within and outside the psychoanalytic realm, offers a timely analysis of how we got to our current positions of social inequity and how we might move beyond them into a future defined by mutuality and hope.