Trapped or Free? Fanon and Lacan on Psychosis and Alienation

In this paper, we examine two early and underexplored texts: Fanon’s 1951 thesis and Lacan’s 1946 presentation ‘On Psychical Causality.’ Their theoretical understanding of madness and freedom in these texts has important clinical consequences and resonates in the clinical testimonies of people experiencing psychosis today. To contextualize their ideas, we consider both authors’ understanding of alienation in psychosis. Rather than taking sides, we explore the tensions within and between their work, as well as their overlaps to develop a more nuanced and responsive framework beyond a simple progressive/conservative binary for thinking about psychosis.