Shakespeare, Open Dialogue, Cultural Diversity and the Sigourney Award: The Multilingual Journey of Caliban and Latin American Psychoanalysis

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Silvana Rea, associate editor of the Latin American psychoanalytic journal Caliban, which has been one of the recipients of the prestigious 2025 Sigourney Award. As Silvana explains the journal’s mission is to advance Latin American psychoanalytic thought through a multilingual platform balancing Portuguese and Spanish and embracing diverse cultural perspectives.

In fact, themes for each edition emerge from collaborative brainstorming whereas the journal’s “Caliban on Tour” initiative brings psychoanalytic ideas to public forums and cultural institutions and crosses borders and transcends boundaries. The journal’s name “Caliban” inspired by Shakespeare symbolizes resistance to colonial influences, and upcoming editions focus on topics such as loss and emptiness.

Silvana highlights Caliban’s commitment to disseminating psychoanalytic thought in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, emphasizing the unique cultural and historical backgrounds of Latin American countries, especially Brazil’s distinct colonial and indigenous influences. For instance, the current edition explores the Brazilian concept of “saudade” (nostalgia or homesickness), featuring contributions from historians and a discussion of “banzo,” a disease affecting enslaved people in Brazil.

All in all, the journal welcomes contributions from various fields, hence reflecting a kaleidoscope of perspectives with the aim of fostering dialogue and understanding through psychoanalysis both in traditional settings as well as within and from open and truly diverse spaces.