On Psychoanalysis and Politics

The International Association of Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (IARPP) is a professional/intellectual community of individuals, clinicians and non clinicians who identify with and/or are interested in the sea change that has pervaded the worlds of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in recent years. Its goal is to create a space for an open, democratic community of creative and rigorous thinkers and practitioners. Its ethos is a love of learning, not the consolidation of any particular discipline or any professional interest group. Its vision is to evolve as a collective think tank, adding energy to existing organizations rather than competing with them, and drawing on the perspectives of those in related, non-clinical fields of interest. The Association will make it possible for individuals in different contexts and locales to share common interests, experiences, and resources. It will sponsor real-time and cyber gatherings.

The first of these gatherings, and the launching of the IARPP, was initiated by the Stephen A. Mitchell Center for Relational Psychoanalysis. A major conference, entitled “Relational Analysts at Work: Sense and Sensibility, A Conference in Memory of Stephen A. Mitchell,” was held January 18-20, 2002 in New York City. Its aim was to provide a forum within which a relational approach to clinical work could be articulated and discussed. Drawing an audience of over 1000, the conference was regarded as a landmark event, the launching of an intellectual space which for many has become the psychoanalytic home they have been seeking for a long time.

One of the pillars of relational psychoanalysis as viewed by the IARPP is a commitment to building a community of thinkers that is not defined by privilege or discriminatory practices. The IARPP intends to address any underrepre-sentation directly and to invite those who feel underrepresented to join in thinking about the issues involved. The IARPP provides a forum for dialogue and debate about any