Feminism and Its Discontents: A Century of Struggle with Psychoanalysis - Hardcover

[Buhle] bases her intriguing and expansive historical study on the premise that feminism and psychoanalytic theory, each in its own way concerned with understanding the 'self, ' developed in continuous dialogue with each other. The author's captivating, energetic writing style reflects the often spirited, surprisingly tenacious relationship of these two theories--from their emergence as 'unlikely bedpartners of Modernism'; through the shifting intellectual patterns of this century and the insidious mother-blaming of the '50s; to the contemporary postmodern paradigm of subjectivity and selfhood. Combining thorough research and incisive analysis, Buhle examines the ongoing discourse among Freudian, new-Freudian, and feminist theorists throughout the century as well as the endless fascination of popular culture with the questions of biology versus culture, difference versus equality. A vital addition to both women's studies and psychology collections.--Grace Fill "Booklist "

With Sigmund Freud flummoxed about what women want, any encounter between psychoanalysis and feminism would seem to promise a standoff. Yet, Mari Jo Buhle argues that the 20th-century's two great theories of liberation actually had a great deal to tell each other. Starting with Freud's 1909 speech to an audience that included the feminist and radical Emma Goldman, Buhle recounts the twists and turns this exchange took in the United States up to the 1990s American vogue of Jacques Lacan. While chronicling the contributions of feminism to the development of psychoanalysis, she also makes a case for the benefits psychoanalysis brought to feminism.