A Lacanian Analysis of Kanye’s Reactionary Turn (feat. Robert Beshara)

We welcome Lacanian scholar Robert Beshara back to the show to discuss his new book A Psychoanalytic Biography of Ye: The Legacy of Unconditional Love. It particularly focuses on the 5-year period from 2016 to 2021 (the Shaky-Ass Years) in an effort to think psychoanalytically about Ye's complex subjectivity, his struggle with manic-depression, the thin line between the personal and the political when it comes to celebrity culture, and, of course, his aesthetic productions – be they in the form of music, video, or fashion – which the author regards as also being ethical and political projects/objects. The book takes what Ye says seriously, as opposed to dismissing him through the use of stigmatizing terms. Beshara specifically aligned his desire with Donda’s in an attempt to see him from her point of view – that is, through the legacy of unconditional love.

Buy the book from the publishers website with the following discount code PROMO25 https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-2886-4

Learn more about Robert Beshara's work at https://sites.google.com/site/robertkbeshara.