Freud and the Far East - by Salman Akhtar (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book is a lexical ambassador with the dual responsibility of bridging the West and East and enhancing psychoanalytic conceptualization in the course of such an encounter. Distinguished psychoanalysts from East and West provide meticulous historical accounts of the develop...

Book Synopsis

This book is a lexical ambassador with the dual responsibility of bridging the West and East and enhancing psychoanalytic conceptualization in the course of such an encounter. Distinguished psychoanalysts from East and West provide meticulous historical accounts of the development of psychoanalysis in Japan, Korea, and China and familiarize the reader with interesting personages, quaint phrases, cultural nuances, founding of journals, and emergence of groups interested in psychoanalysis.

Review Quotes

Freud and the Far East: Psychoanalytic Perspectives on the People and Culture of China, Japan and Korea is enlightening, insightful, and relevant for a wide range of readers, and it has the potential to deeply change our stereotypes about clinical practices-not only in the Far East but across other diverse cultures around the world....Akhtar and his colleagues have greatly enhanced the richness of psychoanalytical theory and practice by linking psychoanalysis with its Eastern influences....I strongly recommend including this book on the reading lists of clinical and abnormal psychology courses because of its strong focus on cultural diversity.

Considering the place of East Asia from both sides of the couch, this long-overdue collection provincializes psychoanalysis from the perspectives of China, Japan, and Korea. Psychoanalytic inquiry can no longer afford to ignore some of the richest East Asian cultural traditions and theories of human relations-such as Buddhism, Confucianism, filial piety, and collective dependence-and those who embody them, 'over there' as well as 'over here.'

Freud and the Far East: Psychoanalytic Perspectives on the People and Culture of China, Japan and Korea is enlightening, insightful, and relevant for a wide range of readers, and it has the potential to deeply change our stereotypes about clinical practices-not only in the Far East but across other diverse cultures around the world....Akhtar and his colleagues have greatly enhanced the richness of psychoanalytical theory and practice by linking psychoanalysis with its Easter influences....I strongly recommend including this book on the reading lists of clinical and abnormal psychology courses because of its strong focus on cultural diversity...

Salman Akhtar has edited a marvelous and thought-provoking exploration of psychoanalysis in the cultural context of China, Japan, and Korea. Unlike any other book, Freud and the Far East shows us the similarities and differences in psychoanalytic theory and clinical work between these three Asian countries. Building upon earlier edited books on psychoanalysis and India and Islam, Akhtar succeeds in illuminating not only how psychoanalysis historically evolved in a non-Western region, but also how some of the fascinating and creative ideas that emerged in the process enriched the psychoanalytic tradition.

About the Author

Salman Akhtar is professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.