<nettime> Society for Theoretical Psychoanalysis - Sarajevo

[STP Sarajevo <ing@bih.net.ba>]

Dear friends,

I want to use this opportunity to inform you on the foundation of Society
for Theoretical Psychoanalysis - Sarajevo. I would like to thank to  all
of you who helped in establishing the Society by providing not only
unconditional support to the idea of the Society but some effective
suggestions  as well.

 Founding of the Society is the outcome of a recent local debate
concerning issues of ideology and knowledge. On one side the thesis is presented
that there is such a thing as pure knowledge, deprived of ideological content
and its political surmise; that scientists are supposed to be focused on
this  distilled knowledge, not mixing it with their political engagement
or ideological standpoints. Furthermore, at this very moment in Bosnia
'scientific  communities'  interested in dealing with the pure knowledge
are supposed to  function as shelters where researcher interested in pure
knowledge only, could  resort in front of 'harsh reality' of omnipresent
'ethnic madness',  nationalistic politics and other problems in Bosnian
society.

Since psychoanalysis shows no mercy for that sort of innocence,  Society
for Theoretical Psychoanalysis - Sarajevo should be in a way recognized
as epitome of attitude completely opposite to the one claiming the 'pure'
knowledge. The Society thus endeavors to embody the awareness of
ideological  background of the knowledge, of its sociopolitical matrix, of
no abhorrence to 'take the side' in the actual political and
ideological environment and, last  but not the least, of facing with the enjoyment
caused by this gesture. 
 
>From  this reason, Society for Theoretical
Psychoanalysis - Sarajevo is very far away  >from any notion of pure and
innocent knowledge: it is centered precisely in the  domain of filthy,
dirty, contaminated knowledge, knowledge which is aware of its 'guilt'.
Of course, this project excludes every possibility of providing the
shelter for researchers; rather, it will constantly remind them that their
hands  have to be  'dirty' because of constant digging the actual social
phenomena, i.e.  Society will function as a point through which knowledge
is supposed to involve  itself in an active, self-aware investigation of
actual social environment.

Furthermore, at this very moment, Bosnian society can be, in  somewhat
simplified way, described as society where nationalistic plague is
supposed to be cured with virus of capitalism. It is still marked by deep,
all-pervasive social trauma caused by rampant, systematic war and not less
systematic forms of post-war social violence relying on crime, corruption,
ethnic segregation and rule of nationalistic parties. This trauma is also
influenced by ambiguous international politics toward Bosnia:
'international community' insists on democracy and overcoming the
national segregation, while  at the same time refusing to give up the very
political framework (Bosnia as two  ethnic-based entity creature
designated by Dayton Peace Accord) which posits the  conditions for ethnic apartheid.
We have already witnessed a specific myth, deployed through  demagogic
ruminations of local nationalistic politicians, but also through
optimistic-at-every-price arguments of agents of international community.
Unwillingly gathered in an odd alliance, they keep on convincing the
people that  'all we need is the Market'. Their appeals could be described as a
paraphrase of  Marquis de Sade: dear Bosnians, one more effort if you want
to become 'capitalists'. To be a capitalist here means not simply to be
a member of  the upper class in capitalist society, but to live in the
society deprived of  war. According to this, the establishing of flow of
commodities and Capital,  will dismantle the ancient nationalistic myths
of hate. Living in  Milka-and-honey society will thus bring us ultimate
salvation, purifying  us from wish for fighting and killing the neighbors.
Unfortunately, eruptions of  nationalism (both, on the West and the East)
have already confirmed that Capital  as such doesn't necessarily pacifies
nationalism, i.e. capitalism and  nationalistic strategies are far from
being mutually exclusive. For example,  Bosnia is already a part of the
capitalist market, but by means of financial and  economic crime sprouting
on the soil of nationalistic elite's policy.

"Can we make whole what has been smashed? Can we  halt the ever-mounting
pile of debris? Can we, in other words,  understand in order not to keep
repeating? Can we foster the  psychological and social reparation needed
in order to propel ourselves into a  future that turns its back on inequality
and hatred?" - these questions, posted  by Argentine psychoanalyst Nancy
Caro Hollander regarding post-authoritarian  trauma of Latin America, are
crucial questions for Bosnia today. But, while  Hollander can close her
text with optimistic note, referring to the legacy of  progressive Latin
American psychoanalysts and hoping that  "a radical  psychoanalysis on the
side of social change can facilitate the working through  and reparative
mourning essential to psychological emancipation and to the  development of
a critical consciousness," I can not afford this sort of  optimism.
Reason: opposite to Latin American experience, Bosnia is completely
deprived of every psychoanalitical tradition upon which some future
engagement  in infurtherance of critical consciousness could be grounded.
>From this reason, promoting psychoanalytical thought in the  local
environment in a way is still pioneer work. Lectures, workshops, seminars,
publishing activities, foundation of the library with psychoanalytical
literature  - these are just some of the projects by means of which the
Society  will start to contaminate local public environment, injecting the
psychoanalytical discourse in public domain,  'bringing the plague' into
Bosnian  environment. Hopefully, you will understand that this project
will hardly  succeed without your intellectual engagement and support, whose
significance can  hardly be overestimated. Recognizing you as supreme
experts and benevolent  activists, I hope that you will help the Society
for Theoretical Psychoanalysis  - Sarajevo to meet its goals, through
future co-operation.

Cordially yours,
Nebojsa Jovanovic
Society for Theoretical Psychoanalysis,  Sarajevo


#  distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net