Slavoj Zizek. Cuba, Gulags and the Political Left. 2009 9/12
Talk · European Graduate School Video Lectures ·
2009-03-07 · 0:02:48 · 341 words
communism-socialismideologypsychoanalysishistorygeopolitics-war
Žižek argues that genuine leftists must visit Cuba to confront the reality of stagnation and poverty, interpreting the regime's refusal to hide its failures as a form of 'symbolic castration' or fidelity to the revolution. He extends this critique to the Soviet legacy, urging leftists to visit the Kolyma region (Magadan) to witness the 'objective leftist legacy' of total alienation and the literalization of camps into cities, arguing that one cannot be an honest leftist without acknowledging this history.
every located moment in this recording, click one to read it
The ideas in it 3
in the order they first come up; click a row for what he does with the idea here
The actual, material historical reality of communist regimes (poverty, camps, stagnation) that leftists must confront, as opposed to the idealized narrative of the revolution.
as “logic of symbolic castration”
Žižek uses this term to describe the political logic where a regime proves its authenticity and fidelity to the revolution through renunciation and suffering, rather than material success or comfort.
Žižek puns on Fidel Castro's name, interpreting 'Fidel' as fidelity, to critique the Cuban leadership's stubborn adherence to revolutionary ideals despite economic collapse.
Stories he reaches for 1
Žižek recounts visiting Cuba as a leftist tourist, where he was shocked that officials did not hide the poverty. Instead, they presented the poverty as proof of their authenticity and fidelity to the revolution, refusing to 'sell themselves' by pretending to be prosperous.
“My shock was how they didn't try to hide the poverty. They presented me See! We didn't sell ourselves. We remain faithful, even if all collapses, we are faithful to the revolution.”
People invoked 2
Fidel Castro negative
ASR likely spells 'Castro' correctly; Žižek uses the name as a pun on 'fidelity'.
Jacques Lacan positive
Standard Žižekian reference to Lacan.
Transcript 4 turns
Slavoj Žižek
We see… pretend for some 10 minutes that we are in democracy, please.
We see… pretend for some 10 minutes that we are in democracy, please.
Audience Member
Viva Fidel Castro!
Viva Fidel Castro!
Slavoj Žižek
Yeah, but did you visit Cuba? You should, as a leftist, I think this is what we who still want to be leftist, this is what we owe to ourselves. because I went there with sympathy and I was just Shocked by this utterance. You know, it's total stagnation and inefficiency. What shocked me then is how Eh? How they are caught in this narrative like I spoke I went as a private tourist but I spoke with some political figures there and My shock was how they didn't try to hide the poverty. He Thank you. They presented me See! We didn't sell ourselves. We remain faithful, even if all collapses, we are faithful to the revolution. Then I told them something for which they almost threw me out and stopped talking to me. I told them, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm a psychoanalyst, I know this.' This logic of This logic of "you prove your authenticity through renunciation, sacrifice" is called in psychoanalysis the logic of symbolic castration. So I told them, no wonder your leader is called Fidel Castro. Fidelity to the state, you know. And it's too bad. bloodshed. I was told that now Magadan still has a lot of mining and it's declassified, it's open to public. And do this. Go there or leftists you do this no longer to be leftists but to see what is objectively leftist legacy. You go there, then you rent a car with some local mafia so that they don't kill you, you bribe them, and take so-called Kolyma Highway. You know, it's about 80 kilometers circle. All the camps were there, and the alienation is total. You know what's the names of local camps? Cities. Just numbers. Camp 28, Camp 34, how many kilometers from zero point. And it's frozen in time. It's all the way it was. to see that. to see that. No, I mean, otherwise you cannot be honestly a leftist.
Yeah, but did you visit Cuba? You should, as a leftist, I think this is what we who still want to be leftist, this is what we owe to ourselves. because I went there with sympathy and I was just Shocked by this utterance. You know, it's total stagnation and inefficiency. What shocked me then is how Eh? How they are caught in this narrative like I spoke I went as a private tourist but I spoke with some political figures there and My shock was how they didn't try to hide the poverty. He Thank you. They presented me See! We didn't sell ourselves. We remain faithful, even if all collapses, we are faithful to the revolution. Then I told them something for which they almost threw me out and stopped talking to me. I told them, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm a psychoanalyst, I know this.' This logic of This logic of "you prove your authenticity through renunciation, sacrifice" is called in psychoanalysis the logic of symbolic castration. So I told them, no wonder your leader is called Fidel Castro. Fidelity to the state, you know. And it's too bad. bloodshed. I was told that now Magadan still has a lot of mining and it's declassified, it's open to public. And do this. Go there or leftists you do this no longer to be leftists but to see what is objectively leftist legacy. You go there, then you rent a car with some local mafia so that they don't kill you, you bribe them, and take so-called Kolyma Highway. You know, it's about 80 kilometers circle. All the camps were there, and the alienation is total. You know what's the names of local camps? Cities. Just numbers. Camp 28, Camp 34, how many kilometers from zero point. And it's frozen in time. It's all the way it was. to see that. to see that. No, I mean, otherwise you cannot be honestly a leftist.
Audience Member
Today
Today