Sudhir Kakar on mysticism, psychoanalysis, and culture
Culture & Psychology August 28, 2025 William B Parsons
This essay examines Sudhir Kakar's contributions to psychoanalytic theories of mysticism and culture. It first defines the contested term "mysticism" and reviews Freud's analysis of the oceanic feeling. It then describes three psychoanalytic models of mysticism—classic, adaptive, and transformational—that developed from and after Freud. Kakar's specific advances and debates with other psychoanalysts are placed within this framework. Finally, the essay discusses Kakar's work and psychoanalysis more broadly in relation to contemporary academic study of mysticism.