Psychoanalytic Perspectives On Migration And Exile

In this book Drs. Lesn and Rebeca Grinberg provide the first psychoanalytic study of both normal and pathological reactions to migration and to the special case of exile. Drawing on rich clinical material, on literature, and on myth, the Grinbergs discuss the relationship between migration and the language and age of the traveler; they consider its effects on the migrant's sense of identity; and they draw insightful analogies between the migratory experience and human development.

How does migration affect us in the deeper layers of our minds, where forces are at work that affect our mental and physical health, our experiences in the world and our behaviour? This edited volume brings together contributions on the social, historical and personal aspects of migration from a psychoanalytic viewpoint. Clinical perspective is combined with a wider view that makes use of psychoanalytic concepts and experience to understand problematic issues around migration today. Later chapters take the historical background into account: the history of psychoanalysis itself is a history of migration, beginning with Freud’s experiences of migration, in particular his escape from Vienna to London at the end of his life, to answer questions regarding migration, refugees, living in a 'multicultural society' and living in a 'foreign culture'. Taking on the challenge of looking at the multi-layered, often subtle, yet powerful emotional and unconscious layers of meaning around migration, this book brings together practice and theory and will be of great interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and those with an interest in the working of the mind in an intercultural context.

This book brings together leading international psychoanalysts to discuss what psychoanalysis can offer to people who have experienced trauma, flight, and migration. The four parts of the book cover several elements of this work, including psychoanalytic projects beyond the couch, and collaboration with the UN. Each chapter presents an example of the applications of psychoanalysis with a specific group or in a particular context, from working with refugees in China to understanding the experiences of women who have witnessed political violence in Peru. Psychoanalytic work with Trauma, Flight and Migration provides a compelling exploration of the international contributions made by psychoanalysis. This innovative book will be essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists looking to learn more about working with people who have experienced the impact of traumatic movement or migration.

Immigration in Psychoanalysis: Locating Ourselves presents a unique approach to understanding the varied and multi-layered experience of immigration, exploring how social, cultural, political, and historical contexts shape the psychological experience of immigration, and with it the encounter between foreign-born patients and their psychotherapists. Beltsiou brings together a diverse group of contributors, including Ghislaine Boulanger, Eva Hoffman and Dori Laub, to discuss their own identity as immigrants and how it informs their work. They explore the complexity and the contradictions of the immigration process - the tension between loss and hope, future and past, the idealization and denigration of the other/stranger, and what it takes to tolerate the existential dialectic between separateness and belonging. Through personal accounts full of wisdom and nuance, the stories of immigration come to life and become accessible to the reader. Intended for clinicians, students, and academics interested in contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives on the topic of immigration, this book serves as a resource for clinical practice and can be read in courses on psychoanalysis, cultural psychology, immigrant studies, race and ethnic relations, self and identity, culture and human development, and immigrants and mental health.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of psychoanalytic work with immigrant mothers, fathers, and their children, combining clinical examples and contemporary research to explore ways in which psychoanalysts can work and shape appropriate therapeutic settings. Written by an international range of contributors, from Europe, the US, and the Middle East, the chapters examine how psychoanalysts, especially when they too are immigrants, can best support those in a transcultural situation against the backdrop of increasing migration from conflict, persecution, war, or poverty. They share a clinical and societal commitment. While showing how the existing literature on immigration focuses rightly on traumatic elements, the chapters in this text also demonstrate how creativity must be considered while shaping a psychoanalytic perspective. The text brings together case material and research to illuminate how the therapeutic and theoretical processes of psychoanalysis, at times combining anthropology and sociology, can lead to the construction of new therapeutic settings mostly for non-Western families in contexts of higher psychopathological risks: neo-natal period, international adoption, and social isolation. Written in a practical, accessible style, Parenthood and Immigration in Psychoanalysis is essential reading for practicing psychoanalysts, paediatricians, psychotherapists, and counsellors, as well as researchers and clinicians in a range of fields, including perinatal, sociology, cultural studies, and social work.

This book explores the impact of migration, including its causes, upon the key ideas and directions of psychoanalytic theory and practice from the twentieth century until today. Having originated with a conference called "Émigré Analysts," developed through the Sandor Ferenczi Center at the New School for Social Research, this collection encompasses a wide array of often personal insights into the historical effects of exile and migration upon psychoanalysis. Divided into three sections, the book first attends to the political crises that affected the exile of psychoanalysts after the Second World War, tracing their journeys from Eastern Europe to the United States; secondly, the rise of antisemitism and the impact of the Holocaust upon these analysts is closely examined; and finally, this book attends to the protection and safety of analysts forced into exile in our contemporary moment with reference to the work being done by existing national and international psychoanalytic institutions. As an engaging and thoroughly detailed account of the influence of exile upon American psychoanalysis, this book will be of as much interest to scholars of history and twentieth-century culture as to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists in training and in practice.

Questions relating to (im)migration are among the most heated topics on both sides of the Atlantic. Western societies have changed dramatically because of large-scale immigration in the last decades. Christians are also engaged in the discussion, attempting to find direction from the biblical texts. Overwhelmingly, persons in leading positions (both in the secular world and in churches and faith-based organizations) support the concept of “welcoming the stranger.” The Bible is seen by them as urging us to open the borders as wide as we can. In the broader population, however, reservations remain. This book, written by a Bible professor who has witnessed mass-migration first-hand, both in Europe and in the U.S., and who has been a migrant himself for over twenty years, attempts to step back and look at the whole of the complex biblical witness, instead of cherry-picking passages that further a specific agenda. It also looks at the salient data on the ground, in the fields of psychology, demography, economy, and security—data that can no longer be ignored when trying to apply the Bible in a responsible way. The book demonstrates the shortcomings of the vast majority of biblical and theological publications on the issue of (im)migration and presents a comprehensive argument for the use of wisdom and caution, and against short-sighted and emotionally driven policies supporting open borders.

This book examines the psychosocial experiences of foreign workers from Africa and its diaspora in China, within the context of international socio-economic forces. By exploring employment-based migration from a psychoanalytic perspective, this volume investigates the utility of adaptive ambivalence and the challenges that migrant workers face around issues of self-development, agency, and identity. Through a careful analysis of interviews with Africana people, the author demonstrates that the capacity to be reflective and resilient alongside having a strong and diversified support network are crucial for the psychological well-being of those living and working in unfamiliar geographic and cultural conditions.