Table Of ContentCONFUSION OF TONGUES
CONFUSION OF TONGUES
A Return to Sándor Ferenczi
Miguel Gutiérrez-Peláez
Originally published in Argentina in 2012 as Confusión de lenguas. Un retorno
a Sandor Ferenczi by EUDEM (Editorial de la Universidad de Mar del Plata,
Argentina). All rights retained.
First published in English in 2018
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Copyright © 2018 by Miguel Gutiérrez-Peláez
Translated into English by María Squirru.
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been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
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To
Verónica, Rodrigo, and Rafael
To
My father
“My dear Karinthy … You said that you knew two types of
wise man and two types of science. The first [type of science]
searches for the truth and strives to awaken a sleepy humanity;
the second one avoids by all means disturbing the quietude of
the drowsy world and even tends to make it fall into a deeper
slumber. Psychoanalysis, you said, possesses that special abil-
ity to awaken us, trying to give the human psyche, by means
of knowledge, not only command over oneself but also of our
organic and physical strengths.
But now you write that it is necessary to stop being in [psy-
cho]analysis in order to preferably study those who speak of
peace, harmony, welfare, and that, with the help of clever sug-
gestions, including hypnotic dreams, surreptitiously introduce
in the human psyche sensations, ideas and reasonable, intelli-
gent, comforting and joyful intentions.
I have previously found your words regarding the power of
the wise somewhat audacious, but since then I have been able to
convince myself of their certainty. I recognised in principle the
ability of “awakener” which corresponded to psychoanalysis
and I have not changed my mind, because I am convinced that
without an authentic and brave science, any effort to find happi-
ness is useless and at best can only arouse a temporary illusion.
But you, on the contrary, have apparently lost patience (possibly
due to present miseries); you neither wish the truth nor science
and only aspire to find a bit of joy for our tormented world at
any price, even if it means lulling it to sleep. In a word, I would
simply wish to acknowledge here that, of us two, I am now the
one who has not abandoned the ranks of those who awaken.”
“Science that lulls and science that awakens.”
—A letter to Frigyes Karinthy (Ferenczi, 1924b)
CONTENTS
ACknowLeDGeMenTS ix
ABoUT The AUThoR xi
PRoLoGUe xiii
héctor López
ChAPTeR one
Unveiling Ferenczi 1
ChAPTeR Two
In the terrain of trauma 9
ChAPTeR ThRee
A re-reading project 25
ChAPTeR FoUR
Old ruptures, new connections 29
vii
viii CONTENTS
ChAPTeR FIVe
The history of “Confusion of tongues
between adults and the child” 33
ChAPTeR SIX
On translation and the confusion of tongues:
a “beyond” for the confusion of tongues 43
ChAPTeR SeVen
Babel and the tower of Babel 51
ChAPTeR eIGhT
Walter Benjamin’s contributions to the issue
of the “confusion of tongues” 59
ChAPTeR nIne
The death of God and the “language of the birds” 73
ChAPTeR Ten
The other “other” in Levinas 83
ChAPTeR eLeVen
Lacan. On the verges of psychoanalytic experience 97
ChAPTeR TweLVe
Awakening to trauma: writings on traumatophilia 109
ChAPTeR ThIRTeen
The return to Ferenczi 145
ChAPTeR FoURTeen
Final considerations 155
noTeS 159
ReFeRenCeS 165
InDeX 175
ACkNOwlEdGEMENTS
This book corresponds for the most part, except for some changes and
modifications, to my doctorate in psychology thesis of the Universidad
de Buenos Aires, defended in October, 2010. Other writings related to
this investigation about Ferenczi have been published in the Revista
Universitaria de Psicoanálisis (2007, 2008a), Ideas y Valores (2008b), Revista
Psicoanálisis (2008c), the International Journal of Psychoanalysis (2009),
Revista Universitas Psychologica (2010), Contemporary Psychoanalysis
(2015), Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría (2017a), Avances en Psicología
Latinoamericana (2017b), Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology
(2017c), amongst others. My masters’ thesis in psychoanalysis of the
Universidad de Buenos Aires (2006), entitled “Splitting como concepto
en la obra de Sándor Ferenczi (Splitting as a concept in Sándor Ferenczi’s
work)”, precedes this book.
I would like to acknowledge those persons who have made the
original version of this book, published in Spanish in 2011, possible.
Josefina Dartiguelongue, for her tireless friendship, help, and essential
contributions; Mauricio Santín, for his affection and for having accom-
panied me throughout the journey here undertaken; Juan V. Gallardo,
for his Ferenczian passion and his invaluable help; Héctor López,
whose rigorous supervision and enthusiasm made this book possible;
ix
