The anti-immigrant discourse in Tenerife: assessing the Lacanian theory of ideology

This article discusses the theoretical assets of the Lacanian theory of ideology and illustrates its analytical strengths by analysing the anti-immigrant discourse in Tenerife. However, this case study also highlights one of the shortcomings that haunt the Lacanian theory. It will be shown that this theoretical approach is unable to completely account for the grip of ideology. This is due—according to the argument made in this paper—to the psychologistic bias that impoverishes the sociological imagination of the Lacanians.