Reconstructing the Community, Reconstructing the Image: Refuge in Islam in Yemen and Lacan After Islam

Abstract

This article offers a new exploration of the relationship between religion and psychoanalysis. It focuses specifically on the clinical potential of both these approaches—and the encounter between them—to transform existing psychotherapeutic models informed by multiple traditions that impact individuals’ psychic wellness and resilience in contexts of war and upheaval. It also examines the role of Islam in forms of refuge and repair. Recognizing the refuge that individuals seek and find in Islam (including Jacques Lacan’s own engagement) during periods of adversity allows us to move away from reductive psychoanalytic approaches toward the study of Islam and Islamic movements. The article concludes by looking at a renewed interest among Yemeni youth in reconstructing the image of the Yemeni through innovation, art, and film to promote mental health while recognizing the refuge that Islam provides for invention. Throughout, the article meditates on people’s dwelling within traditions in order to reconstruct the community to envision new models of psychotherapy necessary for addressing individual and collective ‘afiya—physical, psychic, and spiritual well-being. In turn, it calls for a thinking with religious traditions beyond their sublimatory practices.

Keywords:

• Refuge Keyword: Refuge
• Islam Keyword: Islam
• Yemen Keyword: Yemen
• Lacan Keyword: Lacan
• Mental Health Keyword: Mental Health
• ‘Afiya Keyword: ‘Afiya

How to Cite:

Rights: In Copyright