Julia Kristeva's Abjection

1. Semiotic
Kristeva:
Chora
-Oneness
-Subjectless
-Borderless
Symbolic
Lacan:
Mirror Stage
-Otherness
-Subject
-Borders
ABJECTION
Julia Kristeva
:isthe rejectionof certainpartsof oneself,
like sourmilkordung. It is the processof denyingthe
primal narcissisticidentificationwiththe mother. This
processof spittingandexpellingformsthe ‘I’,and
setsbordersand helpstoestablishthe ‘self’.
Positive
It helps the child to get to
the borders of subjectivity
through Linguistic
Articulation of the
symbolic world
Negative
Abjectiondoesnotrespect
boundaries, so it creates
the subjectsand threatens
it simultaneously
Kinds of Abjection
Abjection of sour milk,
dung and even the hug.
The child starts abjecting
the one introduces these
things to him (his
Mother).
Mother Abjection:
The child has to renounce its
identificationwithitsmothertosetthe
‘Borders’ that create the subject.
Abjection of Cadaver:
Here,borderbetweenlife
and death is broken. This
time, the corpse abjects
the ‘I’, not the ‘I’ abjects
Borders of Abjection
Child’s Double-Bind
Child Child
Mother Father
Semiotic Symbolic
gggg
Borders
Longing for the
narcissistic reunion
with his mother.
The need to renounce
this union to become
a subject. The subject
must be alert to keep
these borders from
falling.
Therefore,
the abject continues
haunting the subject

2. Freud:
Return of the repressed
Kristeva:
Maternal Abjection
Both agree that abjection is on
the periphery of consciousness
and a companion to it
Kristevasaysthatthe longingto the semiotic and the threat of losing the
borders of subjectivity made some cultures set certain rituals to purify
and to face this threat like banning certain kinds of food because they
threaten the identity or the social order.
Religion created acts of
purification through rituals
to help facing these threats.
But with the decline of
religions, Arts take the role
of catharsis.
Literature is also cathartic.
Literature helps us to survive
the trials of abjection,
depression...etc., which afflict
our souls through working
through these conflicts, so that
the subject is not doomed to act
them out
Abjection is Cathartic
So, Art takes over the function of
purification by conjuring up the abject
things it seeks to dispel.
Literature becomes the Abjection’s signifier
It helpsthe authorand reader towork throughabjectionandpsychicproblemsso
that the subjects will be purified and will not be doomed to act them out.

3. K
Kristeva
Literature = Signifier
Abjection = Signified
Resistance
to abjection
Discharge
of
abjection
Kristevan Model
Neurosis
Psychosis
- He hasPersonality
disorderbutstill has
a good grasp of the
symbolicdiscourse.
- He can be treated
psychoanalytically.
- He can say
meaningful things
coz he is aware.
- He cannotuse the
culture’ssymbolic
modesof signification.
- He isina narcissistic
state because his
symbolicstructure is
collapsed.
- He saysmeaningless
things.Sohe is treated
withmedicationsonly.
- Theirbordersof
self are seriously
threatened.
- Theyhave tenuous
holdon the
symbolic.
- Theycan barely
control their
semioticaffects
(Drives).