Abstract
Over the past decade, democratic theory has been becoming increasingly concerned with the social, cultural, and ecological environments that facilitate democratic subjectivities. In this context, scholars often turn to D.W. Winnicott. McIvor moves beyond a theory of democratic transitional objects to consider the developmental trajectory of the holding environment. Beyond objects of civic attachment, citizens need the capacity for negotiating conflict, which can be best approached through Winnicott’s concept of “integration.” McIvor argues that the difficult work of (democratic) integration is reflected in what Lichterman calls “reflexive” associations. Democratic associations (and selves) need spaces of antagonism and mutualistic collaboration in order to facilitate integration. By contrast, standard forms of civic volunteerism do little to develop citizens’ capacities for integration and, in turn, feed “false” selfhood.
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McIvor, D.W. (2017). In Transition, But to Where?: Winnicott, Integration, and Democratic Associations. In: Bowker, M., Buzby, A. (eds) D.W. Winnicott and Political Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57533-3_9
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