Lacan and Teaching Seminar

Professor Matthew Clarke, Chair in Education, University of Aberdeen 

This seminar will be in conversation with Professor Matthew Clarke. 

'I do not think I will give my teaching in the form of a pill; I think that would be difficult' (Lacan, My Teaching).

What has the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan got to do with education? More than you might think. Other than his one book Écrits, Lacan’s main mode of transmission was the teaching of seminars. Over the course of twenty-seven years whilst teaching analysts, Lacan displayed a certain pedagogical mode that is not only visible in his style but is also an under-examined preoccupation of his content. The concepts he provided to the world of philosophy, psychoanalysis and sociology are fecund ways of thinking that allow us to question much of what we do in education unthinkingly, whether that be as a teacher or a researcher. Lacan’s work as a clinical psychoanalyst also means that his work has a strong bearing on the psyche, allowing us to examine the youth mental health crisis in education.

Lacan dedicated his career to the teaching of psychoanalysis, rarely turning to writing. Within his annual seminars, he made many references to education and how he taught. Equally, within his theory there is much to be learned about the classroom practices of the teacher. His regular analysis of knowledge, the relationship between teacher and student, and the formation of a school, raise essential questions to be explored.

Biography

Matthew Clarke’s research draws on a range of interdisciplinary fields, including social, political and psychoanalytic theories, and focuses on developing critical analyses of educational policy and politics with a particular emphasis on how policy shapes the professional work and identities of teachers. Recent books include Education and the fantasies of neoliberalism: Policy, politics and psychoanalysis (Routledge, 2022), Lacan and education policy: The other side of education (Bloomsbury, 2019) and Teacher education and the political: The power of negative thinking (Routledge, 2017).

Over the course of three seminars on Teaching, Mental Health, and Research Methodology, Dr Nick Stock (author of forthcoming The Lacanian Teacher, Palgrave) will discuss Lacan’s contributions to thinking about education with world-leading experts on Lacan from both academia and the clinic. Join us in person or online to learn (or unlearn) about some of Lacan’s key concepts and what they have to do with different aspects of education.

These seminars are open to all and free of charge. Please sign up by registering above to ensure your place. A Zoom link will be sent to you in your registration confirmation email.

Additional seminars within the series will be held 12:00-13:00 on Tuesday 18th February and Tuesday 4th March in Room 312 in The School of Education, University of Birmingham, UK. These will be advertised in due course.

• This event is free and open to the public, staff and students.
• Registration is essential to receive the link to ZOOM if you are attending online. 
• Please note, this seminar is being recorded.