A Proper Conversation: Some Reflections on the Role of Psycho- analysis in Literary Study in South Africa

Abstract

This paper asks: what are the epistemological and broader political implications of the employment of psychoanalytic theories in literary studies in South Africa?

In the implicit endorsement of psychoanalytic theories of the subject in much poststructuralist and some postcolonial theory, academics subscribe to a value-laden conception of the self. Psychoanalysis rejects as “primitive” notions of self such as those circulating amongst indigenous South African cultures while it privileges the individualised psychological person who emerges in the early modern period in the West. Thus, however fruitful psychoanalytic theories may be, if they are not made accountable to local thought systems then their complicity with intellectual imperialism may render them at best suspect, at worst incapacitating to South African students. What is needed is a kind of theorising which involves a dialogue with alternative models, models such as traditional Zulu thought and its attendant literary forms. If students are, for example, exposed to Zulu auto/biographical practices, and are encouraged to consider the philosophical underpinnings for such practices, they will be able to question the implications of the adoption of theories like psychoanalysis.

Opsomming

In hierdie artikel vra ek: Wat is die epistemologiese en breër politieke implikasies van die gebruik van psigoanalitiese teorieë in literêre studies in Suid-Afrika?

Deur die implisiete aanvaarding van psigoanalitiese teorieë van die subjek in post- strukturalistiese en sommige postkoloniale teorieë, onderskryf Suid-Afrikaanse akademici die gelaaide begrip van konsep van die self. Psigoanalise verwerp die “primi- tiewe” begrippe van die self soos dit in inheemse Suid-Afrikaanse kulture voorkom terwyl dit voorkeur verleen aan die geïndividualiseerde psigologiese persoon wat in die vroeë moderne periode in die Weste te voorskyn gekom het. Dus, hoe vrugbaar psigoanalitiese teorieë van die subjek ook al mag wees, indien hulle nie verantwoord- baar is aan die inheemse denksisteme nie, maak hulle medepligtigheid aan intellektuele imperialisme hulle verdag, of erger nog, ontmagtigend vir Suid-Afrikaanse studente. Wat nodig is, is ‘n tipe teoretisering wat ‘n dialoog met alternatiewe modelle insluit; modelle soos die tradisionele Zulu-denke en die verwante literêre vorms. Indien studente byvoorbeeld blootgestel word aan Zulu outo/biografiese praktyke, en aangemoedig word om aandag te skenk aan die filosofiese grondslag van sulke praktyke, sal hulle in staat wees om die implikasies van die aanname van teorieë soos die psigoanalise te bevraagteken.