Abstract: Abstract: The proposed lecture will draw upon my research and writing on women , focussing particularly on the question of maternal subjectivity in the Indian context to argue in favour of psychoanalytically informed critical psychologies. The predominant concerns addressed in the lecture will be a) why do we need  critical psychology b) what is addressed by a turn to the psychoanalytic and c) what is required from psychoanalysis to enable the possibility of critical psychologies.

About the Speaker: Rachana Johri is currently a Visiting Professor at the School of Liberal Studies at BMU Munjal University. Until 2023 she was Professor at School of Human Studies, Ambedkar University, Delhi and Director, Centre for Psychotherapy and Clinical Research. At Ambedkar University, she taught Psychology, Psychosocial Studies and Gender Studies. Her interest in the intersection of gender, psychology and culture is reflected in publications in the areas of gender, motherhood, psychoanalysis, disability studies and mental health. She explored the possibility of new forms of subjectivity in globalizing cities of India through her research on women workers at the malls of Delhi. She has also been involved with various NGOs associated with gender and mental health. Currently she has returned to the field of mental health and spends time between counselling adults within a broadly psychoanalytic frame and her academic work. A co-edited volume ‘The Gendered Body in South Asia: Negotiation, Resistance, Struggle’ was published by Routledge in September, 2023. Recent writing includes Psychology in India: A critical perspective on its growing popularity in India and a forthcoming chapter on old age, motherhood and well-being.