The Unconscious and the University

Are you interested in the role of the unconscious within an institution? This is your chance to take part in an undergraduate conference, open to students from all Departments.

Join us as we explore the significance, value and issues of the university as an institution in general, or of University of Essex in particular. You will have an opportunity to share and situate your ‘lived’ university experiences within the fields of psychoanalysis, depth psychology, and analytic psychology. We will also consider the role of psychoanalysis across a number of different institutions, such as universities, medical schools and hospitals. Central to this discussion will be the questions of legitimacy, reputation, and validity of psychoanalytic ideas.

The conference will also feature a panel presentation, in which past and present lecturers of the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies will share their experiences and reflections of the Department’s history and developments. Panel speakers will include: 

• Mrs Sue Kegerreis
• Dr Chris Nicholson
• Dr David Henderson
• Professor Karl Figlio
• Dr Ann Addison
• Dr Poul Rohleder

The keynote speech will be delivered by the department’s Visiting Professor Mark Solms. Professor Solms is widely known for his contributions to neuropsychoanalysis and brain mechanisms of dreaming. He will speak about his own experiences of doing psychoanalytic research in institutions and fields that are largely within the domain of natural sciences.