Donald Winnicott and the Politics of Care

by Joanna Kellond

Overview

This book explores the significance of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott’s ideas for contemporary debates about care. Locating Winnicott in relation to a range of fields, including psychology, philosophy, sociology, critical theory and feminist theory, it examines the implications of his thinking for understanding and transforming the relationship between care and society. Winnicott was unique amongst psychoanalysts for the emphasis he placed on care in the development of subjectivity. The book unpacks Winnicott’s understanding of care and assesses its relevance for conceptions of social responsibility, justice and transformation. In a world where care is in crisis, how might we theorise the conditions necessary for the development of caring subjectivities, and is it possible to infer a relationship between those conditions and progressive social change? This unique book will be of interest to readers in psychosocial studies, politics and anyone concerned with thinking about the relationship between care and social transformation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030914363
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	03/21/2022
Series:	Studies in the Psychosocial
Edition description:	1st ed. 2022
Pages:	259
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr Joanna Kellond is Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Brighton, UK, and a Founding Scholar of the British Psychoanalytic Council.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction - Winnicott and the Politics of Care.- 2. Healthy Life: Care and Flourishing.- 3.Effacing Care, Denying Dependence.- 4. Caring for Others.- 5. Care, Power, Justice.- 6. Attacks on Holding.- 7. The Politics of Holding.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Joanna Kellond’s valuable revisiting of Donald Winnicott’s work provides a
riveting account of the emphasis he placed upon care in both his therapeutic
practice and his vision of human flourishing overall. With extraordinary scholarly
range, and elegant, accessible philosophical thoughtfulness, Kellond uses
Winnicottian thought to argue for a comprehensive reimagining of care as the
essence of psychic wellbeing, and the heart of progressive social transformation.
A profound and compelling text for our time.”
—Lynne Segal author of Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy, and
co-author of The Care Manifesto

Editorial Reviews

The book as a whole is subtle, balanced, and informative. … Kellond’s contribution remains erudite, original and informative, a welcome and timely addition to the selection of works on the political impact of relations-based psychoanalysis.” (Gal Gerson, The European Legacy, Vol. 28 (6), 2023)

From the Publisher