Contemporary Couples: A Psychoanalytic and Sociological Approach

"Contemporary couples have become unstable, fragile, polymorphous and demanding."

"I have chosen to explore them by taking a twofold, sociological and psychoanalytic, approach. Starting from issues surrounding the historicity of the very notion of couple, in this workshop I will first propose my personal and multidimensional view, which constitutes an initial, theoretical, construction."

"Then, I will look at their essential characteristics, both psychological and sociological, which leads me to questions about contemporary society on the basis of certain aspects proper to it. I will introduce some new notions and concepts like couple work, structural conflictualities (internal and external), conjugal culture." 

"Finally, I will undertake a socio-psychoanalytical reflection considering also that they are fashioned by different categories of recent major changes which I will examine too."

You can also sign up for his seminar as part of the CCRI First Thursday Seminar Series

 Email ccri-info@ed.ac.uk to register

Bio

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Eric Smadja image

Dr. Eric Smadja is a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst, a member of the Société Psychanalytique de Paris, a guest member of the British Psychoanalytical Society a member of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA), and a couples psychoanalyst. He works both in Paris and London.

He is also an anthropologist, an associate member of the American Anthropological Association and a member of the Society for Psychological Anthropology.

In 2007, he was awarded the IPA’s Prize for “Exceptional Contribution made to Psychoanalytical Research”.

His works are pluri- and inter-disciplinary in nature. An international lecturer, he is the author of the following books:

  • Laughter (Le Rire)Que sais-je” series, Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, April 1993 (1st ed.), September 2011 (4th ed.); 1st English edition, September 2013 (College Publications, London); and other publications overseas (Spanish, Japanese, Turkish, Chinese, Korean and Ukrainian.
  • The Oedipus Complex, Focus of the Debate between Psychoanalysis and Anthropology (Le complexe d’Œdipe, cristallisateur du débat psychanalyse/anthropologie), Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 2009. 1st English edition by Routledge, October 2017.
  • The Couple: A Pluridisciplinary Story (Le Couple et son Histoire) Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, March 2011 (1st edition) ; 1st English edition in 2016 (Routledge) ; other publications (Spanish, Korean,  Russian, Romanian and Chinese).
  • Couples in Psychoanalysis (Ed.) (Couples en psychanalyse) (Dir.), Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, May 2013 ; other publications in Spanish, Italian and Russian in 2018.
  •  Freud and Culture (Freud et la Culture), Paris : Presses Universitaires de France,  September 2013 ; 1st English Edition by Karnac Books and The International Psychoanalytical Association (2015)
  • Contemporary Couples (2016), waiting for a publisher.
  • On Symbolism and Symbolisation (2017) : The Work of Freud, Durkheim and Mauss, (1st English edition by Routledge, 2018