^aSchool of Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 46 Egnatia, Thessaloniki 54625, Greece

Correspondence: Yannis Stavrakakis, E-mail: yanstavr@yahoo.co.uk

Abstract

Using as a starting point R.D. Hinshelwood's argumentation in 'Ideology and Identity,' this commentary aims at exploring what exactly psychoanalytic theory can offer today to the contemporary analysis of ideology. Through a systematic reconstruction and critique of the main hierarchical oppositions operating in Hinshelwood's approach – individual vs group life, constructive vs destructive group, truth/reality vs falsity – we point towards an alternative psychoanalytic orientation located beyond individualism, representationalism, objectivism, and (instrumental) rationalism. This orientation is articulated on the basis of Lacan's work on the symbolic, fantasy, and enjoyment.