Snaklab | Valentin Kalinov (Plovdiv/Sofia) | Freud in the Shadows? On the (im)possibility of psychotherapy under communist rule

We are delighted to be collaborating with our friends at seeFField as we welcome Dr Valentin Kalinov (University of Plovdiv), who will give a talk on Freud in the Shadows? On the (im)possibility of psychotherapy under communist rule.

Zoom-Link

Abstract:

Is there a place for psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in the totalitarian discourse on mental health? The negative answer to this question might seem self-evident. However, as in other humanities fields of socialist knowledge – such as academic philosophy, history, literature, and the arts – a critical look can delineate places of disobedience, deviations from the officially sanctioned perspectives, and even deliberate subversions of the imposed ideological discourse.

These are places – in thought, writing and public speaking – that function as symptoms. In these shadowy places, under the watchful eye of the Party’s guardians, a singular social fact and an existential meaning are produced, marked simultaneously by the forces of repression and resistance to repression.

This lecture seeks to explore three avenues of inquiry: 1) Mapping Symptomatic Places and their immanent practices of knowledge production; 2) “Life in Truth” as a practice in the field of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis; 3) The Disruptive Potential of Psychoanalysis.

The first objective is to outline the typology of these places-symptoms that constitute the (im)possibility of psychotherapy during Bulgaria’s totalitarian regime in the second half of the twentieth century. This examination will take a broad perspective, analyzing ideological recognition and misrecognition of Marx and Freud, state Marxism-Leninism and psychoanalysis, discourse and counter-discourse. To this end, I will investigate the forms of domestication and "Sovietization" of psychoanalytic conceptual and technical apparatus.

The second aim is to shed light on some particular modalities of “life-in-truth” and “life-in-lie” practiced within these symptomatic places, which, for various reasons, have so far remained on the margins of memory and history.

Thirdly, the lecture will highlight the critical and destructive power of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in the context of the ideological construction of a 'socialist way of life' and a 'communist intimacy’ during the period of so-called mature socialism.

These three lines of thought would contribute to a fuller understanding of the stakes of the past under conditions of totalitarian repression, as well as the anxieties of the future. Both, however, remain linked to the "hope of truth" – the only force that can give life the power to survive. 

The methodology of this lecture integrates archival research with critical engagement in philosophical and psychoanalytic literature. By examining overlooked or marginalized sources, the talk seeks to uncover the untold story of psychoanalysis under totalitarian rule in Bulgaria, bringing it into dialogue with broader intellectual frameworks, including Marxist ideology, psychoanalytic theory, and philosophy. This interdisciplinary approach not only reconstructs a neglected historical narrative but also situates it within larger debates on the tensions between repression and resistance, ideology and counter-discourse. The academic aim is twofold: to illuminate the specific historical dynamics of psychoanalysis within this context and to contribute to broader scholarly discussions on the intersections of psychoanalysis, philosophy, and political ideology.

Bio:

Valentin Kalinov is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and History at Paissiy Hilendarski University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. As a scholar of social and intellectual history, his research focuses on the intersections of philosophy, critical theory, psychoanalysis, and the social history of ideas. His work investigates the processes of knowledge production, transfer, and transformation within psychotherapy and mental health sciences during the communist era in Eastern Europe, particularly in Bulgaria. Dr Kalinov’s current research project explores the translation and adaptation of Western psychotherapeutic discourses in the socialist context, offering a critical perspective on how such practices intersected with ideological power and resistance. His forthcoming monograph, Reading Freud in State Socialism: Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy during the Communist Era, delves into these themes, situating Bulgarian developments within the broader Eastern Bloc and drawing comparisons with other socialist states, including the GDR, Yugoslavia, and Hungary. Throughout February 2025, he will be a visiting researcher at the Leibniz ScienceCampus Europe and America.