Black Lives Matter: Jung, Race, and the Unconscious

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In the current clash between whiteness and blackness, racism and culture, important psychological questions press to be answered. What unconscious forces, for instance, lurk behind the fantasy of White supremacy? What role does the ego play in confronting unconscious attitudes that prevent the formation of authentic multicultural relationships? And: What is the relationship between psychological work and social justice?

In this program we look inside the platform of the Black Lives Matter movement from a depth psychological perspective. We look, in particular, at Jung’s 1925 expedition to Africa. In the autumn of that year Jung set sail from his home in Switzerland with two companions for British East Africa on an expedition commissioned by the British government to conduct ethnographic interviews with the Bugishu people.

Jung made the trip through Kenya and Uganda to the slopes of Mount Elgon to increase his understanding of "primitive psychology." He later concluded that the major insights he gleaned while on safari had instead to do with himself and the European psychology in which he had been raised.

PLEASE JOIN US: Our monthly meetings are informal (with some facilitation) and typically have anywhere from half a dozen to a dozen people. We start at 7 p.m. When you arrive the front door to the office will be locked so please phone co-organizer Dennis Pottenger on his cell (916-751-9084). A note for those who run late: Dennis turns off his cell at 7:10 so please plan to arrive before then.