Empowering a feminist clinic

Challenging gender system oppressions in modern female subjectivities

Abstract

In the context of psychoanalytic practice, the relevance of challenging gender oppressions in modern subjectivities relies on engaging in meaningful dialogues with feminism. Drawing from our academic background in teaching psychoanalysis, gender studies, and feminism, as well as our experience as private practice analysts, this article presents ideas and reflections on an ongoing project—a feminist clinic in Michoacán, Mexico. The clinic’s goal is to uncover and challenge gender system oppressions that affect modern female subjectivities, with a particular focus on how gender-based violence shapes these experiences. The article is divided into three sections. The first section provides a historical account of the feminist clinic project, highlighting its social and political context. The second section explores the tensions and fluctuations between psychoanalytic theory and feminist activism, considering the contemporary struggles faced by women impacted by gender-based violence. It investigates how psychoanalysis and feminism can complement each other to create effective intervention strategies against women’s oppression. The third section analyses the potential of the feminist clinic project as a tool for both academic pedagogy and psychoanalytic clinical training, offering a new path to feminist activism called ‘subjective activism’.