The Libidinal Economy of Revanchism: Illicit Drugs, Harm Reduction, and the Problem of Enjoyment

Proudfoot, J.

doi:10.1177/0309132517739143

The Libidinal Economy of Revanchism: Illicit Drugs, Harm Reduction, and the Problem of Enjoyment

Proudfoot, J.

Authors

Dr Jesse Proudfoot jesse.proudfoot@durham.ac.uk
Assistant Professor

Abstract

Harm reduction is generally presented as the compassionate, pragmatic alternative to prohibitionist drug policy. This article examines harm reduction in relation to debates over the revanchist city in urban geography, arguing that it should be understood as an ambivalent social policy. I advance a psychoanalytic conceptualization of ambivalence to explain the often contradictory character of contemporary drug policy, including harm reduction. Calling attention to the centrality of enjoyment (jouissance) in debates over drug policy, I argue that fantasies about the enjoyment of the Other play a crucial role in drug policy, with profound consequences for marginalized drug users.

Citation

Proudfoot, J. (2019). The Libidinal Economy of Revanchism: Illicit Drugs, Harm Reduction, and the Problem of Enjoyment. Progress in Human Geography, 43(2), 214-234. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132517739143

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Oct 6, 2017
Online Publication Date	Nov 30, 2017
Publication Date	Apr 1, 2019
Deposit Date	Oct 6, 2017
Publicly Available Date	Dec 5, 2017
Journal	Progress in Human Geography
Print ISSN	0309-1325
Electronic ISSN	1477-0288
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	43
Issue	2
Pages	214-234
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132517739143

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Copyright Statement
Revised version Proudfoot, J. (2019). The Libidinal Economy of Revanchism: Illicit Drugs, Harm Reduction, and the Problem of Enjoyment. Progress in Human Geography 43(2): 214-234. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.