The jouissance of war

Abstract

The article analyzes the presence of violence and war throughout History, investigating what the author calls the “enjoyment of war.” Drawing on Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, it argues that the death drive, in its destructive aspect, emerges in times of conflict and is reflected in power structures. Psychoanalysis, especially with Lacan, is seen as a tool to understand humanity’s fascination with the cruelty that sustains hatred and segregation.