138: Genocide and the Politics of Hospitality feat. Avgi Saketopoulou

Psychoanalytic institutions frequently engage in a cycle of inviting and then disinviting scholars who hold critical political views, particularly regarding Palestine and trans rights. This phenomenon reflects a broader institutional resistance to genuine political engagement, as organizations prioritize depoliticized dialogue and the preservation of institutional harmony over ethical confrontation. Psychoanalyst Avgi Saketopoulou argues that these institutions often use psychoanalytic concepts like splitting or toxic polarization to pathologize dissent and avoid addressing systemic violence. Instead of seeking superficial repair or consensus, the field must embrace unbinding—a process of maintaining antagonism and keeping wounds open to challenge status quo power structures. This shift requires clinicians to move beyond the liberal imperative of both-siderism and recognize that true psychoanalytic work involves confronting uncomfortable truths, even when such engagement leads to institutional exclusion or personal professional risk.