Huge thanks to everyone who came out to the inaugural event of RU Center for Psychoanalysis! We had a wonderful presentation by Myriam and such an engaging discussion, which is just what I was hoping for.
The first event for the Rendering Unconscious Center for Psychoanalysis celebrated the book The Queerness of Psychoanalysis. I was happy to be joined by both co-editors, Myriam Sauer and Elisabeth Punzi, and so many familiar and new faces.
To begin, I outlined some of the goals of RU Center for Psychoanalysis, highlighting upcoming courses and events, including An Introduction to Psychoanalysis course I will be leading. Miriam then presented her chapter, "Emptiness is the Cure for Psychoanalysis," in which she looked at the work of Swiss psychoanalyst Danielle Quinodoz, who wrote up an early trans* affirmative case study. Some themes of the discussion included the alienation experienced by trans individuals in the field of psychoanalysis and the potential for transness to challenge rigid norms, gender and otherwise, emphasizing the need for a trans-affirmative psychoanalysis and the importance of questioning societal norms.
Check out the book: The Queerness of Psychoanalysis: From Freud and Lacan to Laplanche and Beyond (Routledge, 2025).
You may read Myriam's chapter HERE.
This is the first event in a series exploring The Queerness of Psychoanalysis, where various contributors will present their chapters for in-depth immersion into this landmark volume. Nearly all contributors to this collection are trans*, nonbinary, and/or queer.
I am posting this event for everyone as a celebration of the official opening of RU Center for Psychoanalysis. I've also created a channel at our Discord server dedicated to this book and event series so drop in if you'd like to keep the conversation going!
All paid subscribers to RU Center for Psychoanalysis will receive zoom links and recordings for all events in The Queerness of Psychoanalysis series PLUS will be registered for my 12-part course An Introduction to Psychoanalysis which begins Saturday, September 13th.
Recordings of future RU Center events and courses will be archived here for paid subscribers to access on their own time.
More to come!
Vanessa
Artwork by trans icon Val Denham, whose work graces the cover of The Queerness of Psychoanalysis.
