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On the Foreskin Question Circumcision and Psychoanalysis On the Foreskin Question Circumcision and Psychoanalysis Jordan Harold Osserman 2017 A thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University College London Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry I, Jordan Harold Osserman, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Signed, ______________________ Abstract Male circumcision is a potent receptacle for fantasy. Whatever its medical benefits or harms, the significance of the practice has always extended to questions beyond the purely organic. By placing specific moments in the history of circumcision into dialogue with psychoanalytic theory, this dissertation demonstrates how circumcision is an inherently ambivalent procedure that enables multitudinous and contradictory responses to the constitutive encounter with lack to be played out on the site of the penis. Through circumcision – whether actual or spectral – the penis is put into relation with the symbolic phallus, allowing the organ to function as an image upon which fundamental questions of subjectivity may be posed. The dissertation begins with an introduction to the relevant psychoanalytic theory on castration, sexual difference, and the phallus, and then examines the extant historical, critical, and psychoanalytic literature relating to circumcision. Subsequently, three case studies are explored, over the course of four chapters: First, St. Paul’s abrogation of Jewish circumcision and its undertheorized role in debates surrounding “Pauline” universalism, considered from the divergent perspectives of Alain Badiou and Daniel Boyarin. Second, the nineteenth-century Anglo-American medicalization of circumcision (promoted as a cure for nervous illness), and the relationship between the “talking cure” and the “circumcision cure.” Finally, the libidinal undertones of contemporary political discourse, activism, and popular sentiment on circumcision. In each case, stances and controversies surrounding circumcision reveal a preoccupation with the question of phallic mastery in the face of lack. Circumcision figures either as an attempt to consolidate mastery – denying or repudiating castration – that at the same time reveals the inherent impossibility of such an enterprise, or, it foregrounds castration, often provoking defensive responses. 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction Circumcision on the Couch 11 2. “Real Circumcision is a Matter of the Heart” Badiou’s Paul and Boyarin’s Jewish Question 75 3. From Mohel to Surgeon Circumcision’s Medicalization 109 4. From Foreskin to Psyche Psychoanalysis’s Answer to Medical Circumcision 153 5. Is the Phallus Uncut? Circumcision Today 197 6. Conclusion “The Damn Thing Never Goes Unregistered” 235 Bibliography 245 Acknowledgments When I e-mailed the first complete draft of this dissertation to my supervisors, a feeling of de-realization came over me. Suddenly, it seemed as though the key coordinates that have organized the last four years of my life – if not longer – were falling away. Who am I? what am I doing here? I thought to myself, cycling home from the UCL library on a Friday at midnight. Despite the fact that many other things have mattered to me very much in the course of writing this thesis, “On the Foreskin Question” has been my “master signifier,” the scholarly demands intersecting with the enigmatic resonances of the topic to produce a powerful site of identification. The temptation, therefore, is not just to thank the people who directly contributed to this work with comments, suggestions, or support, but to offer gratitude to everyone and everything that has shaped me in my trajectory towards this doctorate. That won’t be possible. However, the following acknowledgments must be made: University College London made this project financially possible by granting me the Overseas Research Scholarship and Graduate Research Scholarship. I understand that members of the French department went to bat for me in the scholarship deliberation meeting against others who thought this circumcision business was a bit too weird, and I thank them for their courage. My supervisors, Mairéad Hanrahan and Stephen Frosh, have been invaluable sources of knowledge and support, offering gentle but critical feedback throughout the process while encouraging wide-ranging exploration, even if it sometimes required flights of fancy. A number of institutions and graduate forums have fostered and refined my thinking. Members of the Psychoanalytic Thought, History, and Political Life forum read and criticized an early version of my third chapter. (I will never forget Jacqueline Rose’s terrifyingly perceptive comment, “You have used the word ‘symbol’ to carry a lot of conceptual weight here without properly analyzing it, and I think you know that.”) Stephen’s PhD/postdoc work-in-progress forum has been a regular source of congenial intellectual exchange. The anarchic Das Unbehagen: A Free Association for Psychoanalysis is filled with brilliant and rebellious minds who have inspired and enlightened me, especially when I accompanied them on a journey through the primordial Icelandic wilderness, which culminated in the star-studded conference, Psychoanalysis on Ice. I owe a tremendous debt to the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research, whose seminars and readings groups have made Lacanian theory come alive. I have relied on the British Library not only for its collection but also for a working space and intellectual hub that has facilitated the circulation of morale-sustaining gossip. Lawrence Kritzman’s class, “Psychoanalysis and Literature,” which I took as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, opened my eyes to the world of Freud. The desire he awakened led to my pursuing an MA in Psychoanalysis, History, and Culture at Birkbeck 5 College, where, despite the massive relocation, I instantly felt at home. The entire staff of the Department of Psychosocial Studies deserve praise; I benefitted especially from modules taught by Derek Hook, Stephen Frosh, and Lisa Baraitser. The enduring friendships I made with my fellow “psychosocial – emphasis on psycho” classmates were also integral to the intellectual growth I experienced that year, which paved the way for this project; thanks goes to Andrew MacMurray, Tess Carota, Ching Li, and Nelly Gomez. Michael Bronski introduced me to Jewish studies in “Jews and Hollywood,” and then shared innumerable intellectual and political insights in the years that followed; he has been a tremendous teacher and a dear friend. In high school, Anole Halper taught me how to think deeply, write passionately, and oversleep – I’m glad we’re still close. Significant portions of this dissertation were written on Ryan Air-powered “working holidays” in: Carmarthenshire, Lesvos, Sofia, Plovdiv, Berlin, and Chionochori. Themistokles Pantazakos and Danae Avgeri were delightful fellow travelers. Kevin Inston, Stephanie Bird, and James Agar offered very thorough and helpful feedback on my work during my upgrade examination. Tim Beasley-Murray encouraged me towards creative approaches to scholarship in his graduate seminar, “Undisciplined,” and nurtured my ability to work with students after hiring me as his teaching assistant. I started seeing a psychoanalyst around the same time I began working on this project, and yet, I’ve hardly ever (consciously) spoken about my dissertation to him. I don’t know if that is “something to be analyzed,” but I do know that our sessions have impacted my thinking on circumcision and other matters in profound ways. However much Lacan put the emphasis on speech, I’d like to thank Roger for the way he listens. A circle of comrades and confidantes, haphazardly united under the banner of “The Lacanian Phrontisterion,” have nourished my soul: Akshi Singh, Foivos Dousos, Aimée Lê, Natasha Silver, Daniel Mapp, Rob Price, and Jaice Sara Titus. If I began to write anything more about them and their importance to me, I might never stop; I will have to rely on that infinitely inadequate phrase, thank you. Rahul Rao welcomed me into his home when I first touched ground at Heathrow airport five years ago. Since then, he has been my companion, interlocutor, lover, teacher, intellectual sparring partner, funny accent imitator, and much else besides. Although some things have changed, my love and gratitude remain constant. Marc Sutton is the hand that reached back when I went to grab the pretty flower. He has given me joy I didn’t know I could have. Always keeping my best interests at heart, my mother and father ensured that the mohel was not only religiously but also medically trained. For that, and much more, I am grateful. 6 Note to the Reader The style and referencing in this dissertation are based on the Chicago Manual of Style. I have used shortened citations in the footnotes to assist the reader; all references can be found, in full, in the bibliography. When a single source is quoted often, I cite the page numbers parenthetically within the main text, and note this change of referencing style in the first relevant footnote. When one or several citations apply to an entire paragraph without quoted text, the source(s) are listed in a footnote at the end of the paragraph. Ellipses within quotations indicate omitted text, and changes to capitalization and punctuation within quotations have been made silently to conform to the surrounding text. The thesis is typeset in Yrsa by Rosetta and Lato by Łukasz Dziedzic. 7 Allison
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