The politics of hysteria—Safouan and the question of power
Abstract
The chapter “The politics of hysteria—Safouan and the question of power” investigates Safouan’s writing on the political through the prism of hysteria. The article traces Safouan’s recourse to Freud’s concept of parricide, the Oedipal myth and the law, as well as to Luther’s protestant reformation in order to develop a critical understanding of the function of language in autocratic societies and of pathways to democratisation.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Psychoanalysis
Philosophy
and Politics
Political Theology and Sovereignty
Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 51–60
- Publication date
- 11 March 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter