Atonement and Its Discontents: The Case Against Forgiveness May
17, 2008
Brattleboro, Vermont
Susannah Heschel, Ph.D.
Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College
Many people say they forgive—but do they really? In this presentation, Dr. Heschel will question what we actually mean by forgiveness, and why we have idealized this concept in recent years. The reality behind the ideal may be anything but noble: asking for forgiveness can be manipulative, an alibi, or even a form of denial. At the other end, we sometimes claim to forgive an insult when we have simply moved on in our lives; or we say we have forgiven and discover, years later, that we are still quite angry. Most often, we are urged to forgive by viewing our victimizer as a victim, which is also not true forgiveness.
Dr. Heschel will examine why at this cultural and political moment in the United States we are so concerned with forgiving, and how that may be linked to the intense discussions of the Holocaust that have held our attention for the past two decades. She will also discuss how forgiveness functions as a metonymy for Christianity and represents, as she will argue, the Christianization of psychology and psychoanalytic theory. She will present a very different approach within Judaism, which focuses on atonement and reparation. Her talk will also suggest alternative interpretations—for example, that anger is not in itself bad, but is an energy that can be transformed into constructive use as righteous indignation, based on the prophetic model of the Hebrew Bible.
For
more information or to register, please contact the Assisi Institute
at 802.254.6220.
Continuing
Education Credits
This conference is co-sponsored by the National Association for
the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the Assisi Institute. NAAP
is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing
education for psychologists. The conference will carry 5 Continuing
Education Units. NAAP maintains responsibility for the program.
Full attendance is required at each presentation to receive credit.
Fee is $10 per day.
Previous
Faculty for the Annual Assisi Institute Lecture include:
1995
- Robert Langs, M.D.
1996 - Yoram Kaufmann, Ph.D.
1997 - June Singer, Ph.D.
1998 - Mario Jacoby, Ph.D.
1999 - Yoram Kaufmann, Ph.D.
2000 - Michael Conforti, Ph.D.
2001 - Erminia Scarcella, M.D.
2002 - Sylvia Brinton Perera, M.A.
2003 - Christine Downing, Ph.D.
2004 - Robin Robertson, Ph.D.
2005 - Edgar Mitchell, Ph.D.
2006 - Ralph H. Abraham, Ph.D.
2007 - Rabbi
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
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