Publisher's Synopsis
Highlights the ways in which the emotional life, identity formation and the relationship between self and society can inform histories both of individuals and of nations. 'memory is the bridge shared by both psychoanalysis and history, for the processes of remembering and forgetting are central to both' So why have historians been reluctant to use the tools of psychoanalysis, one of the most influential developments in thought of the last century? This collection of essays puts history on the couch, exploring how psychoanalytic thought might enhance our exploration of the past. Drawing on the work of Freud and later theorists, the authors tackle this complex and sometimes uneasy relationship through theory and historical practice. Such issues as class, race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality are inextricably tied up in this dialogue between disciplines. History on the Couch highlights the ways in which the emotional life, identity formation and the relationship between self and society can inform histories both of individuals and of nations.
