Joy Damousi

Mariano Ben Plotkin

This collection of essays approaches the history of psychoanalysis from a transnational perspective, emphasizing the flows of people, ideas and institution across cultures and nations, and examining the factors that contributed to turn psychoanalysis into one of the systems of beliefs that defined the Twentieth century.

Essays in the History of Psychoanalysis and Transnationalism

The Transnational Unconscious

De la colección Nudos de la Historia argentina, este libro despliega los orígenes del peronismo y la construcción del 17 de octubre como mito fundacional.

La construcción del 17 de Octubre

El día que se inventó el Peronismo

Researcher National Council of Scientific Research and Professor Mariano Ben Plotkin

Concerned primarily with the formation of political culture, Plotkin (Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, Argentina) explores the mechanisms of political consent (both active and passive) used by the authoritarian regime of Juan Domingo Peron to maintain and extend its power. Peronist political imagery and the institutional framework that supported the creation of the "symbolic apparatus" are examined. Going beyond traditional explanations that have concentrated on Peron's support among the organized working class, Plotkin looks into his mobilization of marginal sectors of the population (non-unionized workers, women, and the poor). Translated from the 1993 Spanish- language work. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

MANANA ES SAN PERON PB

This is a fascinating history of how psychoanalysis became an essential element of contemporary Argentine culture--in the media, in politics, and in daily private lives. The book reveals the unique conditions and complex historical process that made possible the diffusion, acceptance, and popularization of psychoanalysis in Argentina, which has the highest number of psychoanalysts per capita in the world. It shows why the intellectual trajectory of the psychoanalytic movement was different in Argentina than in either the United States or Europe and how Argentine culture both fostered and was shaped by its influence. The book starts with a description of the Argentine medical and intellectual establishments reception of psychoanalysis, and the subsequent founding of the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association in 1942. It then broadens to describe the emergence of a "psy culture in the 1960s, tracing its origins to a complex combination of social, economic, political, and cultural factors. The author then analyzes the role of "diffusers of psychoanalysis in Argentina--both those who were part of the psychoanalytic establishment and those who were not. The book goes on to discuss specific areas of reception and diffusion of psychoanalytic thought: its acceptance by progressive sectors of the psychiatric profession; the impact of the psychoanalytically oriented program in psychology at the University of Buenos Aires; and the incorporation of psychoanalysis into the theoretical artillery of the influential left of the 1960s and 1970s. Finally, the author analyzes the effects of the military dictatorship, established in 1976, on the "psy universe, showing how it was possible to practice psychoanalysis in a highly authoritarian political context.

The Emergence and Development of a Psychoanalytic Culture in Argentina

Freud in the Pampas

This volume explores a central paradox in the evolution of psychoanalytic thought and practice and the ways in which they were used. Why and how have some authoritarian regimes utilized psychoanalytic concepts of the self to envisage a new social and political order?

Histories of Psychoanalysis Under Conditions of Restricted Political Freedom

Psychoanalysis and Politics

The regime of Juan Perón is one of the most studied topics of Argentina's contemporary history. This new book—an English translation of a highly popular, critically acclaimed Spanish language edition—provides a new perspective on the intriguing Argentinian leader. Mariano Plotkin's cultural approach makes Perón's popularity understandable because it goes beyond Perón's charismatic appeal and analyzes the Perónist mechanisms used to generate political consent and mass mobilization. Mañana es San Perón is the first book to focus on the cultural and symbolic dimensions of Perónism and populism. Plotkin also presents important material for the study of populism and the modern state in this region. Mañana es San Perón explores the creation of myths, symbols, and rituals which constituted the Perónist political imagery. This political imagery was not designed to reinforce the legitimacy of a political system defined in abstract terms, but to assure the undisputed loyalty of different sectors of society to the Perónist government and to Perón himself. The evolution of the institutional framework that made the creation of this symbolic apparatus possible is also discussed. This well-researched book shows the methods designed by the Perónist regime to broaden its social base through the incorporation and activation of groups which had traditionally occupied a marginalized position within the political system-non-union workers, women, and the poor. Plotkin investigates how Perón used the education system to build his popularity. He examines the public assistance programs financed through the Eva Perón Foundation, and demonstrates how they were used to politicize women for the first time. He explains how Eva Perón and the Perónist regime not only tried to gain the support of women as voters but also as potential 'missionaries' who would spread the Perónist word in the privacy of their homes. This well-written and engaging account of one of Latin America's most colorful and appealing leaders is an excellent resource on Argentina and Latin American history and politics.

Mariano Ben Plotkin

Books

Your next favorite book is out there