ABSTRACT
Displacement. Displacement may best be defined as a “travelling concept” (Bal 2002), one applied in a variety of fields, each emphasising a different accent depending on how the concept is used. In physics, displacement refers to the difference between the initial position and the final position of an object; in engineering it is used to measure the process by which an object immersed in a fluid pushes some of the fluid out of the way; in mechanics it is the distance moved by a particle or body in a specific direction. In psychoanalysis, Freud used displacement to describe a subconscious defence mechanism, in which dream thoughts about the self are decentred, appearing instead as Other, but still associated with the self. Because of its prominence in Freud’s theory, displacement is often related to the experience of uncanniness, a concept that permeates contemporary studies of media and theatre. In the social sciences displacement refers to political or economical migration patterns and/or feelings of being displaced. Here, Heidegger’s notion of Unheimlichkeit reverberates.
