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The Psychoanalysis of Race
Are divisive political forces the sole source of racism and its recurrence in contemporary society? Or are there also subtler, more intractable reasons for racism's irrational power and historical persistence? This collection of essays takes the study of racism in a new direction--that of unconscious fantasies and identifications--offering perspectives from a variety of leading figures in many fields.
Contributors Daniel Boyarin, Jacques Derrida, Alphonso Lingis, Jacqueline Rose, Charles Shepherdson, Claudia Tate, and Slavoj Zizek.
Contributors Daniel Boyarin, Jacques Derrida, Alphonso Lingis, Jacqueline Rose, Charles Shepherdson, Claudia Tate, and Slavoj Zizek.
- GenresPsychoanalysisTheory
445 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 1998
About the author
Christopher Lane
9 books7 followersLiterary & Medical Historian | DSM Examiner | Yale Press Author
Christopher Lane investigates how modern institutions define normal behavior, belief, and doubt.
His prize-winning study Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness (Yale, 2007) exposed the controversy over major changes to American psychiatry’s diagnostic manual in the 1980s and 90s, including how guesswork and faulty science, loose criteria and undisclosed conflicts of interest led to skyrocketing rates of social anxiety disorder and the creation of six other anxiety disorders that we use today for insurance billing. Translated into six languages, based on exhaustive archival research and in-depth interviews, Shyness was highly commended by the British Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine, and won the Prescrire Prize for Medical Writing in France. The New York Times called the book “well-researched” and Publishers Weekly, a “scathing indictment of the American Psychiatric Association and the psychopharmacological industry.”
Lane’s Surge of Piety: Norman Vincent Peale and the Remaking of American Religious Life (Yale, 2017) uncovered how Peale’s “religio-psychiatric” clinic and movement in the 1950s actively turned belief in God into a precondition for national and individual mental health. Criticized as “heretical” in 1960 for blending Christian theology with positive psychology, Peale published a bestseller in 1952 that fueled a surge in religiosity and religious nationalism — the book briefly outsold the Bible in America, redefined conservatism in the Oval Office, and helped set the stage for today’s culture wars. The Washington Post called Lane's study "enthralling … graceful and well-paced … requisite reading,” and the History journal, "Well-timed and well-written," in that it "argues that domestic and global politics infused Peale’s work."
Lane’s earlier work on the roots of freethought and unbelief, The Age of Doubt: Tracing the Roots of Our Religious Uncertainty (Yale, 2011), studied how agnosticism, doubt, and skepticism entered public life in the late nineteenth century, as leading intellectuals battled the Church and redefined doubt from a religious sin into an ethical necessity. According to the New York Times, the book “argued that the explosion of questioning in the Victorian era transformed the idea of doubt from a sin or lapse to necessary exploration."
Across eight books, Lane examines the history of medicine, psychiatry, psychology, and religion. A former Guggenheim fellow and Northwestern University professor, he is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and has published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Slate, TIME, and Chronicle Review.
Readers interested in the DSM-III controversy, the overdiagnosis of mental illness, Norman Vincent Peale’s influence and legacy, and the history of religious doubt can ask Lane questions here at Goodreads.
Follow him on Psychology Today:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/co...
Christopher Lane investigates how modern institutions define normal behavior, belief, and doubt.
His prize-winning study Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness (Yale, 2007) exposed the controversy over major changes to American psychiatry’s diagnostic manual in the 1980s and 90s, including how guesswork and faulty science, loose criteria and undisclosed conflicts of interest led to skyrocketing rates of social anxiety disorder and the creation of six other anxiety disorders that we use today for insurance billing. Translated into six languages, based on exhaustive archival research and in-depth interviews, Shyness was highly commended by the British Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine, and won the Prescrire Prize for Medical Writing in France. The New York Times called the book “well-researched” and Publishers Weekly, a “scathing indictment of the American Psychiatric Association and the psychopharmacological industry.”
Lane’s Surge of Piety: Norman Vincent Peale and the Remaking of American Religious Life (Yale, 2017) uncovered how Peale’s “religio-psychiatric” clinic and movement in the 1950s actively turned belief in God into a precondition for national and individual mental health. Criticized as “heretical” in 1960 for blending Christian theology with positive psychology, Peale published a bestseller in 1952 that fueled a surge in religiosity and religious nationalism — the book briefly outsold the Bible in America, redefined conservatism in the Oval Office, and helped set the stage for today’s culture wars. The Washington Post called Lane's study "enthralling … graceful and well-paced … requisite reading,” and the History journal, "Well-timed and well-written," in that it "argues that domestic and global politics infused Peale’s work."
Lane’s earlier work on the roots of freethought and unbelief, The Age of Doubt: Tracing the Roots of Our Religious Uncertainty (Yale, 2011), studied how agnosticism, doubt, and skepticism entered public life in the late nineteenth century, as leading intellectuals battled the Church and redefined doubt from a religious sin into an ethical necessity. According to the New York Times, the book “argued that the explosion of questioning in the Victorian era transformed the idea of doubt from a sin or lapse to necessary exploration."
Across eight books, Lane examines the history of medicine, psychiatry, psychology, and religion. A former Guggenheim fellow and Northwestern University professor, he is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and has published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Slate, TIME, and Chronicle Review.
Readers interested in the DSM-III controversy, the overdiagnosis of mental illness, Norman Vincent Peale’s influence and legacy, and the history of religious doubt can ask Lane questions here at Goodreads.
Follow him on Psychology Today:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/co...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 29, 2026
Christopher Lane's The Psychoanalysis of Race is a remarkably thought-provoking collection that challenges readers to look beyond conventional explanations of racism. Rather than focusing solely on political or social structures, these essays explore the unconscious forces, fantasies, and psychological investments that help sustain racial thinking across generations.
What impressed me most was the breadth of perspectives represented by the contributors. Each essay approaches the subject from a unique angle, creating a rich and multifaceted conversation that rewards careful reading. While intellectually rigorous, the collection never loses sight of the real-world implications of its arguments.
This is not a book that offers easy answers, but that is precisely its strength. It invites readers to grapple with difficult questions and reconsider assumptions they may not even realize they hold. A challenging, insightful, and deeply rewarding read for anyone interested in race, psychology, philosophy, or critical theory.
What impressed me most was the breadth of perspectives represented by the contributors. Each essay approaches the subject from a unique angle, creating a rich and multifaceted conversation that rewards careful reading. While intellectually rigorous, the collection never loses sight of the real-world implications of its arguments.
This is not a book that offers easy answers, but that is precisely its strength. It invites readers to grapple with difficult questions and reconsider assumptions they may not even realize they hold. A challenging, insightful, and deeply rewarding read for anyone interested in race, psychology, philosophy, or critical theory.
May 29, 2026
Few books manage to open up an entirely new way of thinking about a familiar subject, but The Psychoanalysis of Race succeeds brilliantly. Christopher Lane has assembled an exceptional group of thinkers who move the discussion of racism beyond surface-level analysis and into the realm of unconscious desire, fear, identification, and fantasy.
What makes this collection so compelling is its originality. Rather than repeating arguments commonly found in discussions of race, the contributors explore why racial attitudes can persist even when people consciously reject them. The result is a nuanced and often surprising examination of one of society's most enduring problems.
I found myself highlighting passages throughout the book and returning to ideas long after finishing a chapter. It is demanding at times, but the intellectual rewards are immense. An outstanding contribution to contemporary thought.
What makes this collection so compelling is its originality. Rather than repeating arguments commonly found in discussions of race, the contributors explore why racial attitudes can persist even when people consciously reject them. The result is a nuanced and often surprising examination of one of society's most enduring problems.
I found myself highlighting passages throughout the book and returning to ideas long after finishing a chapter. It is demanding at times, but the intellectual rewards are immense. An outstanding contribution to contemporary thought.
May 29, 2026
Reading The Psychoanalysis of Race was both intellectually stimulating and personally reflective. This collection encouraged me to think about racism in ways I had never considered before, particularly through its focus on unconscious processes and hidden psychological dynamics.
The essays are rich, provocative, and often challenging, but they consistently push the conversation into deeper territory. Rather than offering simplistic explanations, the contributors examine the emotional and psychological structures that can shape attitudes and behaviors beneath conscious awareness.
What I appreciated most was the book's willingness to confront complexity. It acknowledges that racism cannot always be understood through rational analysis alone and asks readers to engage with uncomfortable but necessary questions. This is the kind of book that stays with you and continues to shape your thinking long after you've finished it.
The essays are rich, provocative, and often challenging, but they consistently push the conversation into deeper territory. Rather than offering simplistic explanations, the contributors examine the emotional and psychological structures that can shape attitudes and behaviors beneath conscious awareness.
What I appreciated most was the book's willingness to confront complexity. It acknowledges that racism cannot always be understood through rational analysis alone and asks readers to engage with uncomfortable but necessary questions. This is the kind of book that stays with you and continues to shape your thinking long after you've finished it.
May 29, 2026
The Psychoanalysis of Race stands out as an ambitious and important work that brings together some of the most influential voices in contemporary theory. Christopher Lane has curated a collection that is intellectually rich while remaining deeply relevant to ongoing conversations about race and identity.
The contributors draw from psychoanalysis, philosophy, literary criticism, and cultural studies to explore dimensions of racism that are often overlooked. Despite the complexity of the subject matter, the essays are engaging and consistently thought-provoking, offering fresh insights into why racial tensions and prejudices can prove so persistent.
This book demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary thinking and provides readers with powerful tools for understanding both historical and contemporary manifestations of racism. An impressive and rewarding collection that deserves a wide readership.
The contributors draw from psychoanalysis, philosophy, literary criticism, and cultural studies to explore dimensions of racism that are often overlooked. Despite the complexity of the subject matter, the essays are engaging and consistently thought-provoking, offering fresh insights into why racial tensions and prejudices can prove so persistent.
This book demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary thinking and provides readers with powerful tools for understanding both historical and contemporary manifestations of racism. An impressive and rewarding collection that deserves a wide readership.
May 29, 2026
This was one of the most fascinating books I've read on the subject of race. *The Psychoanalysis of Race* goes far beyond the usual political or historical frameworks and explores the deeper psychological forces that can shape racial attitudes and social divisions.
The range of contributors is exceptional, and each essay brings a distinctive voice to the conversation. I especially appreciated how the collection encourages readers to think critically about unconscious motivations rather than settling for easy explanations. Even when I disagreed with certain arguments, I found them stimulating and worth engaging with.
This is a book that challenges, educates, and inspires reflection in equal measure. It offers a sophisticated examination of a difficult topic and rewards readers who are willing to wrestle with its ideas. Highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding race from a fresh and deeply insightful perspective.
The range of contributors is exceptional, and each essay brings a distinctive voice to the conversation. I especially appreciated how the collection encourages readers to think critically about unconscious motivations rather than settling for easy explanations. Even when I disagreed with certain arguments, I found them stimulating and worth engaging with.
This is a book that challenges, educates, and inspires reflection in equal measure. It offers a sophisticated examination of a difficult topic and rewards readers who are willing to wrestle with its ideas. Highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding race from a fresh and deeply insightful perspective.
May 31, 2026
The Psychoanalysis of Race is a fascinating and thought-provoking collection that examines racism from a perspective rarely explored in such depth. The essays challenge readers to think beyond politics and social structures, delving into the unconscious forces that shape prejudice and identity. While intellectually demanding at times, the insights offered are powerful and rewarding. A compelling read for anyone interested in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and race studies.
May 31, 2026
This book offers a unique and deeply analytical look at the persistence of racism in society. The contributors bring diverse perspectives that encourage critical reflection on the psychological and cultural dimensions of race. I appreciated how the essays moved beyond conventional discussions and explored the hidden mechanisms that influence human behavior. An important and enriching collection that stays with you long after you've finished reading.
May 31, 2026
An outstanding anthology that combines psychoanalytic theory with discussions of race, identity, and social conflict. The essays are intelligent, challenging, and incredibly relevant, even decades after publication. I found myself highlighting numerous passages and reflecting on the ideas long after each chapter. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy rigorous intellectual exploration and fresh perspectives on complex issues.
May 31, 2026
I was impressed by the depth and originality of The Psychoanalysis of Race. Rather than offering simple answers, the book encourages readers to confront uncomfortable truths about identity, prejudice, and human psychology. The range of voices included creates a rich and multifaceted discussion that remains remarkably relevant today. A challenging but highly rewarding read that I would gladly recommend to others.
May 31, 2026
This collection succeeds in opening new avenues for understanding racism and its enduring impact. The contributors examine difficult questions with nuance and depth, making the book both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging. Although some essays require careful reading, the effort is well worth it. A valuable resource for scholars, students, and curious readers alike.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews