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Hysteria in the squares: Approaching populism from a perspective of desire

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Abstract

This paper explores the productive potential in the psychoanalytic concept of hysteria in terms of the study of populism. A Lacanian framework is adopted to broaden our understanding of the (dis)identification structures at stake in a populist logic, stressing the constitutive role desire bears in relation to social meaning-making processes. Against a background of public discontent – the “square protests” – this paper exploits the emancipatory potential within the discourse of the hysteric as a crucial radical investment in the displacement of predominant socio-symbolic boundaries, leading to the production of social knowledge.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks are due to Jason Glynos, Thomás Zicman de Barros, Marco Guasti, and Patricia Ferreira, for they have all enriched and inspired the making of this piece. I also thank the editors and reviewers of PCS for their thoughtful comments and recommendations throughout the publication process.

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  1. Department of Government, Centre of Ideology and Discourse Analysis (CIDA), University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, UK

    Sebastián Ronderos

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Ronderos, S. Hysteria in the squares: Approaching populism from a perspective of desire. Psychoanal Cult Soc 26, 46–64 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41282-020-00189-y

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