THE IDEA OF MELANCHOLIA IN THE THOUGHT OF JUDITH BUTLER: THE POLITICS OF (UN)MOURNING BETWEEN FORECLOSED ATTACHMENTS AND DISPOSSESSED LIVES

Date

2024-12-30

Author

Umucu-, Özün Ayça

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This thesis focuses on the constitutive role of melancholia within the theories of Judith Butler's theoretical framework through the idea of the subject constructed through melancholia developed from Freud's interpretation of melancholic identification. In Butler's thought, the subject constructed through melancholia develops into the critical constituent in forming identity through the internalization of unmourned lost desires and attachments refused by socially constituted norms. While this internalization process shapes the subject, the traces left by lost objects play a central role in Butler's theoretical framework, which develops around gender, kinship, and vulnerability themes. The thesis argues that Butler's use of Freud's concept of melancholia serves as a structural cornerstone in her intellectual ground and that the theme of 'melancholia based subjectivity‘ extends throughout her studies. On the other hand, it has been argued that Butler's theory of 'melancholia-based subjectivity' may limit the subject's political agency and lay the groundwork that could obscure Butler's theoretical framework. This thesis seeks to critically analyze Butler's interpretation of mourning and melancholia in connection with the theoretical framework Butler has developed on the issues of gender, kinship, and vulnerability.

Subject Keywords

Judith Butler, Melancholia, Mourning, Freud

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/112937

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis