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Castration fever: On trans, China, and psychoanalysis
1History Department, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences
|July 5, 2021
Summary
This essay explores how studying castration historically can connect diverse fields. It examines the links between transness, Chineseness, and the unconscious through transcultural psychoanalysis and historical methods.
Area of Science:
- History of Science
- Transcultural Psychoanalysis
- Chinese Studies
Background:
- The author's research trajectory over 15 years, shifting from the science of sex change to transcultural psychoanalysis.
- The historical study of castration as a central theme.
- The intersection of disparate scholarly fields and paradigms.
Observation:
- Tracing the intellectual evolution from sex change science to transcultural psychoanalysis.
- Examining the historical study of ancient Chinese eunuchs.
- Identifying methodological commonalities between seemingly unrelated topics.
Findings:
- Castration, treated as a historical problem, offers a bridge between diverse scholarly fields.
- Insights into the politics of transness, Chineseness, and the unconscious.
- Methodological parallels exist in the historical study of castration and transcultural psychoanalysis.
Implications:
- Provides a framework for interdisciplinary research, particularly in Chinese studies and the history of science.
- Encourages thinking beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries.
- Highlights the value of historical perspectives in understanding complex socio-cultural and psychological phenomena.
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