Desire and jouissance are key terms in Lacanian psychoanalysis, with desire often equated with a search for some unattainable object and jouissance with an excess that both disturbs and excites us. Where desire tends to be seen as a positive term, and its emergence marked with approval, jouissance has to be banished, reduced, drained, limited and localized. But how valid are these terms today? Are they real advances from Freud’s own concepts or have they become mere descriptive terms, used with the same lack of rigour as the concepts of modern psychiatry? This conference hopes to encourage an exploration of the notions of desire and jouissance, tracing their emergence in Lacan’s work and examining their status today.

Entrance fee: £60

Concessions: £40

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