Forms and metamorphosis of “non conscious” before and after Freud: “scientific ideologies” and literary representations

CFP Between XI.21 (May 2021)

Forms and metamorphosis of “non conscious” before and after Freud:

“scientific ideologies” and literary representations

Edited by Silvia Contarini, François Bouchard, Rudolf Behrens

Deadline: 30 October 2020

In the wake of recent French and German studies that attempted to outline a history of psychology before Freud, with a particular emphasis on the literary field, this call for papers proposes to scrutinize in a more systematic way the various forms of the “non conscious” (independent or complementary of psychoanalysis) developed by “scientific ideologies” from the end of the 19^th century to the Modernist period. We intend to focus on their reception by literature, in the Italian cultural arena, at the beginning of the 20^th century, which is mostly ignored by European scholars.

By “non conscious” we mean all the phenomena that govern individual behavior outside the sphere of will and reason, regardless of epistemological category. In this sense, “non conscious” as we intend it doesn’t square precisely with the psychoanalytic concept of the unconscious but instead relates to the so-called paradigm of the unintentional (Jacqueline Carroy).

The papers will follow two lines:

1. investigate the literary survival of late-19^th-century psychological thought in the avant-garde period (Dada, surrealism, futurism, and so on), mostly with regard to automatisms and the mechanics of dreams and hallucinations, and their use in a parodic or distorting way;

2. explore the relationships between literature, psychology and other human sciences, such as ethnography, with regard to the representation of the “non conscious” in the so-called primitive mentality, or political anthropology, in as far as it relates to the collective mechanics of suggestion.

Interested parties are invited to contact the editors before sending their contributions if they would like more precise information or if they have doubts about the relevance of their proposal.

Proposals (articles ready for publication and accompanied by abstracts) must be sent by 30 October 2020 following the instructions available on Between's website, on the submissions page.

The articles finally accepted will be published at May 2021.

Proposals in a language other than Italian or in a bilingual version (one of which is in English) are appreciated and encouraged.

For further information, please write to between@unica.it.