The interposition of patriarchy in the real of the feminine

towards a black psychanalytical

Abstract

The text explores the relationship between psychoanalysis, feminism, and contemporary sociocultural issues in Brazil, highlighting the influence of patriarchy and phallocentrism on women and broader social dynamics. The objective is to demonstrate that phallocentrism, a patriarchal structure that places the phallus as the central symbol of power and identity, continues to shape and limit women’s experiences and subjectivity. Despite Lacan’s innovations, such as the notion of the Sinthome, the text argues that psychoanalysis faces challenges in understanding and addressing the complexities of contemporary social dynamics. In Brazil, religious fundamentalism and neoliberalism exacerbate violence against women and reinforce its internalization as an unavoidable feature of female life. The need for a listening approach that articulates the Sinthome with the periphery, what we may call “peripheral listening,” which values marginalized experiences, is highlighted as a pathway to redefining and deconstructing the traditional paternal function and offering new forms of support. The text critiques psychoanalysis for its apparent inability to hear and respond to the voices of the marginalized and advocates for an approach that goes beyond Freud’s and Lacan’s writings — without dismissing them — in order to integrate the complexity of current social and cultural experiences.