Žižek and Ideology
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“The Fantasy itself is the most Real Thing” Exploring Desire in the 21st Century: Žižek and Ideology Cindy Lee Zeiher A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology at the University of Canterbury January 2014 Abstract This thesis considers how desire might be theorised in the twenty first century against the backdrop of New Zealand society, culture and film. Methodologically, this exploration is addressed with reference to Žižek’s return to a critique of ideology, whose conceptual basis is drawn from Marx, Althusser and Lacan, and which is significant in its analysis of contemporary desire as emanating from social conditions and constellations of power. Žižek’s challenge to call for a new Master is one that this thesis responds to enthusiastically. Such a response is posited from a location which intersects Lacanian psychoanalysis and sociological theories. The method this exploration employed focus groups and individual interviews from which talk of desire is constructed and critically explored. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted following a viewing of the New Zealand film, Heavenly Creatures, which enabled an exploration of how participants offer competing ideological locations which can reveal the hidden and not so hidden mechanisms regulating social relations and ambiguities. The participant profiles of the focus groups were designed around key themes relating to the film: fathers of teenage daughters; those working or heavily involved within the creative industries; young women aged between 18-25; and those who grew up in Christchurch during the 1950’s. Heavenly Creatures is a film interpretation of the actual murder of Christchurch resident Honora Rieper in 1954 by her teenage daughter and this daughter’s friend. In exploring both the themes of friendship and the figure of the mother, Heavenly Creatures deliberately conflates fantasy with ideology, so that it is from this intersection that possibilities of subjective desire are confronted. When addressing desire set against this particular film, participants confront deadlocks and misrecognitions, in particular the disintegration of those ideological conditions with which they are identifying. These include the limitations of 2 modern capitalism, concerns about the ‘environment’, the pervasive engagement with cynicism, and frustrations with the inability to intimately and socially self-express. In order to understand and articulate desire various locations are posited in the guise of subjective truth. These points of fixation are structured by the conditions of dominant social and cultural ideologies, which the participant seeks to symbolise in returning to the ambiguity of the promise of the Master’s discourse as proposed by Lacan. This thesis critically explores three of the modalities through which Lacan’s construct of the Master is revealed in participants’ talk about desire: these are the precarious position of belief, the fragmented body, and love as an ideological act. It is argued that these modalities work within discourse in such a way as to offer participants ideological personification as well as a complexity of circumstances from which they can designate the objet a (the truth of one’s desire in psychoanalytic terms) insisted by the superego. In this way these three modalities are configured as enabling a speaking, or a saying, from a position of knowledge. This position in turn insists that the subject does not have to abandon the problem of desire but rather engage with knowledge attained through confronting and developing a literacy of desire. Desire read alongside the modalities of belief, the body and love posit a contemporary ontology in which the gaze commands an ethical and somewhat moral dimension from which the subject can construct a Master which not only seeks to recognise and speak about desire, but also manage it within daily life. 3 Acknowledgments It is impossible to thank everyone who has made this thesis possible – that would be in itself a thesis! Firstly, there are those wonderful writers and theorists who have boldly and unapologetically paved the way for emerging scholars such as myself. These thinkers have captured my imagination and have inspired and challenged me with their approaches, methods and theoretical challenges and I acknowledge them in my reference list. My primary supervisor, Professor Victoria Grace has been an immeasurable intellectual inspiration and mentor to me over the course of my honours and doctorate years. She has been an ongoing source of patience, support and encouragement as well as providing exacting and excellent feedback on my thesis development. Victoria’s breadth of knowledge, wealth of experience and intellectual strength meant that undertaking this thesis has been a real pleasure. Victoria understood my need for freedom for expression and exploration of new ideas, all the while providing critique and feedback on my work. Because of Victoria’s respect for my vision, this thesis always felt alive and exciting even when this vision was not always entirely clear to me. I am fortunate enough to have a father-in-law, Nick Derrick, who has undertaken his own thesis journey and understands the joys, frustrations and commitment it takes to dedicate to the world of ideas. My mother-in-law, Judy Derrick has throughout been supportive, loving and encouraging of my work. Nick and Judy have been with me every step of the way from the very beginning. I would also like to thank my family in the United Kingdom, especially Frances Carr, who supported me when I travelled there to attend a conference. Thank you to Dr Alan Wright for helpful and critical feedback on my chapters, particularly those relating to film theory and interpretation, writing style and expression. 4 I am indebted to focus group participants in this study, all of whom have been generous with their time and trust in me. Thank you to Dr Tiina Vares for checking in with me from time to time. I am most grateful to have received a University of Canterbury Doctoral Scholarship which has supported me over the last three and half years. I would also like to acknowledge the financial support from the New Zealand Vice Chancellors’ Committee who awarded me a Claude McCarthy Fellowship which enabled me to travel and present my research in the United Kingdom. The University of Canterbury School of Social and Political Sciences have been very generous, providing financial support for me to travel to and present my research at various conferences in Australia and in the United States. I am fortunate to have encountered the global community of Žižek scholars. In particular I would like to acknowledge Dr Matthew Flisfeder, Dr Louis-Paul Willis, Dr Antonio Garcia, Dr Agon Hanza and Professor Rex Butler who have all provided generous and invaluable feedback and support. Thank you to the Australian Psychoanalytic Association and in particular, members of the Lacanian research ‘cartel’ I am a part of: Glenn Rutter, Dr Nicole Thomas and Julie-Anne Smith. My gratitude also goes to Dr Cherie Lacey and Dr Irene Lee for their unwavering support, insightful contributions and friendship. My patient and loving friends have been incredibly understanding and thoughtful, particularly when I have at times been an absent friend. Thank you specifically to Chris Reddington, Tamara Smith, Jennine Bailey, Jeff Henderson, Hermione Johnson, Tia Grieg and Andy Butler. 5 Thank you to the wonderful Liz MacLeod for generously allowing me to include in this thesis her parent’s story of love, respect and commitment. A very special thank you to Siobhan Collins for just being you! Last but certainly not least, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my loving partner Reuben Derrick and our daughter Naima. Everything I do, contemplate doing or even dream about is because you are both so inspiring to me. Thank you for taking this journey with me. This thesis is dedicated to you both and our new baby on the way. 6 Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 4 List of illustrations ................................................................................................................. 11 List of figures .......................................................................................................................... 15 List of publications ................................................................................................................. 17 List of presentations ............................................................................................................... 18 Part 1: Framing desire.......................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 1: Exploring theorisations of desire ........................................................................ 21 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 21 Thesis background and breakdown .................................................................................. 23 Cultural, historical and social conceptualisations of desire .............................................. 26 The contemporary desiring subject: from Althusser to Žižek .........................................