Lélia Gonzalez: A Bridge Between the Decolonization and the Countercolonization of Brazilian Psychoanalysis

Abstract

We intend, in the present paper, to explore how Lelia Gonzalez's oeuvre can be thought in terms of the problem of an epistemological crossroads for the psychoanalytical field: that of assuming itself in a decolonial movement, decentered and destituent regarding the heritage of the colonial context into which it came to be - and in which it is still transmitted -, and, taking over from there, a psychoanalysis that goes in yet another direction, that of elaborating its own theoretical notions, as well as to establish strategies of transmission coherent with the social-historical reality in which it acts. We argue that categories such as blacktuguese [pretuguês], amefricanity and the rethinking of maternal function under the light of a reconsideration of the extensive historical-cultural role of the black mother are all theoretical expedients with relevance and incidence in clinical practice, which can also be seen as the conceptual expression of both a stalemate and a countercolonial creative potentiality. An epistemological lurch such as that is considered here crucially important for Brazilian psychoanalysts, so that they can be up to par - listening and taking part in - the historical demands of their own times.