Coronavirus, Psychoanalysis, and Philosophy

Originally published in the European Journal of Psychoanalysis (EJP), the essays in this volume are a set of responses to the coronavirus crisis by distinguished philosophers and psychoanalysts from around the globe.

The coronavirus irrupted making swift and deep cuts in the fabric of our existence: the risks of contagion and indefinite periods of isolation have radically altered the functioning of society. Pandemics do not wait for comprehension in order to proliferate. Confusion, sickness, and death punctuate the failure of governments worldwide to respond. This collection of writings examines the effects of the pandemic and the conditions that make possible such a global crisis. The writers provoke us to consider how capitalism, governmental power, and biopolitics mold the contours of life and death. The contributors in this collection ignite urgent political dialogue, address emergent transformations in the social field and offer perspectives on shifts in subjectivity and psychoanalytic practice. Beyond providing reflections on the impact of the coronavirus, the authors point to determinants of how the crisis will unfold and what may be on the horizon.

This book will be invaluable to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, philosophers, and to all those interested in the implications of the virus for psychoanalytic practice and theory, and the social, cultural and political spheres of our world.

Fernando Castrillón, Psy.D., Editor in Chief of the European Journal of Psychoanalysis, is a personal and supervising psychoanalyst, professor in the Community Mental Health Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and a member of the Istituto Elvio Fachinelli ISAP (Institute of Advanced Studies in Psychoanalysis) based in Rome, Italy. He is the author of a book and numerous articles in both Spanish and English.

Thomas Marchevsky, Ph.D., is an editor of the European Journal of Psychoanalysis, has a psychoanalytic practice in San Francisco, California. He is Clinical Director of The Clinic Without Walls and an adjunct faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).