Book Review: Islamic Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Islam: Cultural and clinical Dialogues

Edited by Ian Parker and Sabah Siddiqui (Routledge, 2019)

The editors of this book bring together a group of authors from a wide variety of clinical and theoretical backgrounds. They in turn explore the relationship between Psychoanalysis and Islam, a relationship that can be fraught with a variety of tensions as well as some interesting connections. Indeed, one can learn a lot from the collection of papers on the subject of Psychoanalysis and Islam. I was initially struck by the comments of Chiara Sebastiani in their chapter on “Representations of the Psyche and its dynamics in Islam” about the “affinity between the Islamic concept of the heart and the Freudian concept of the psyche. This translated in Arabic with the word “nafs” means soul, Sebastiani C (2019) in Parker and Siddiqui (2019) Islamic Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Islam, p39). I was reminded when reading this of work by Bruno Bettelheim. in his book, “Freud and Man’s Soul”, where he writes a lot about how Freud’s work may have been mistranslated from German to English and the connections between the word “psyche” and “Soul”.

There are some chapters in the book that are rich in material from many other parts of the world making this a truly international book. One can learn about politicised aspects of Islam in different countries as well as how psychoanalysis is thought about in these different countries and parts of the world. I feel the book would help enhance the ability of anyone working with people from such diverse backgrounds to begin to understand them on a deeper level from a cultural and religious perspective, as well as psychologically, and any difficulties that they might face.

Later within the book there are some interesting chapters that explore contentious and difficult subjects related to terrorism. The author of one of these chapter draws upon Lacanian theory to expand on the points that they are making.  Then later Gohar Homayounpour writes about “Islam, the new Modern Erotic”, where Jihadism is explored in some detail, where perverse actions by Jihadists are understood by drawing upon classical psychoanalytic theory as well as understanding complex dynamic’s within Islam itself as a religion. Homayounpour (2019) in Parker and Siddiqui (2019).

There are themes throughout the book of oppression and of being oppressed, though I guess due to the nature of the subject this will not come as any surprise to the reader.

I referred to the book as being “rich” in material which I feel it is, in so many different ways from theoretical perspectives, religious and cultural perspectives as well as some useful clinical insights. The book therefore is best being read slowly one chapter at a time, allowing the reader the time to digest what has been taken in before moving onto the next course, so to speak.

Bibliography

Bettelheim B (1983) Freud and Man’s Soul, Penguin books.

Parker I & Siddiqui S (2019) Islamic Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Islam: Cultural and clinical Dialogues, Routledge.   

Malcolm Peterson
malcolm.peterson1@btinternet.com