UC Research Profile - University of Canterbury

Dr Cindy Lee Zeiher

Contact

Department: Sociology and Anthropology

Email: cindy.zeiher@canterbury.ac.nz

Phone Number: +64 3 369 3999 ext. null

Office: Elsie Locke Building 311

Languages: English, German

About

Research / Creative works

Projects

Methods & Equipment

Fields of Research

Lacanian and Freudian Psychoanalysis
Critical and Political Theories
Modernism and Post-modernism
Theories and Expressions of Affect and Emotions
Film, Music and Visual History and Cultures

Researcher Summary

I am a German-Australian with a background in trade unionism, community work & the creative arts, especially music. Prior to moving to Aotearoa/NZ 20 years ago, I lived in Japan, Italy & Belgium. Whilst in Brussels I studied French & creative writing. For the past 15 years I have been dedicated to close readings of Freud & Lacan as well as contemporary feminist French philosophers, enabling new insights into my curiosities regarding theoretical and creative expressions of subjective antagonisms.

Currently I am working on two projects: A book on musicologist & philosopher, Jankélévitch's theory of stoic ‘political refusal’ following the Holocaust, from a Lacanian perspective. I am also interested in the experience of performing music/s during wartime.

I have completed editing a collection of essays, 'Psychoanalysis and Stupidity' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023) which puts the experience of encountering stupidity as a specific philosophical, subjective, & social curiosity.

Among other things, I have published texts on psychoanalysis, the status of curiosity, creativity, subjectivities & ontology, as well as translating German & French texts to English.

My editorial commitments currently are:

* Co-founder and ed. (with Mike Grimshaw):'Continental Thought & Theory'
* Advisory board: 'CounterFutures: Leftist Thought in Aotearoa/NZ' & 'Emerging Conversations in the Global Humanities' (Parlor Press)
* Ed. board: 'Contemporary Psychoanalytic Studies' (Brill)

Currently I supervise postgraduate students whose research questions focus on: music & emotions; Asia-Pacific feminism(s); contemporary French philosophy & ‘hospitality’; & filmic depictions of war. I am currently full to capacity & will be on sabbatical Jan-July '23, residing in Slovenia & Germany.

Subject Area: Disciplines

Music, Literary Arts and Other Arts: Music History and Musicology
Philosophy: Continental Philosophy
Political Science, International Relations and Public Policy: Political Theory
Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, Criminology and Gender Studies: Feminist Studies

Resources

Academia Profile

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

Authored Books

Pluth E. and Zeiher C. (2019) On Silence: Holding the Voice Hostage. Cham: Palgrave Pivot. 102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28147-2.

Journal Articles

Zeiher C. (2022) Sensation(all) Ontology. Filozofski Vestnik XLIII(3/20): 7-28.

Zeiher C. and Overell R. (2021) The Anxiety of #MeToo: A Response to Jean-Claude Milner. Penumbr(a) 1(1): 151-164.

Zeiher C. (2020) Lacan’s Fifth and Unfinished Discourse: Capitalism’s Alchemist Dream. Filozofski Vestnik 41(1): 331-345.

Zeiher C. (2020) Lacan’s Love for Socrates. Filozofski Vestnik XL(1): 65-85.

Zeiher C. (2020) The Woman and her Name: Baxter, Véra Baxter. S: Journal of the Circle for Lacanian Ideology Critique 12.

Zeiher C. (2020) Trump, Our Favourite Jouissance. CT&T: Continental Thought and Theory 3(1) 13: 200-218. http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/1176.

Zeiher C. (2019) Why bother caring (about the fate of money)? Provocations (2): 39-51.

Zeiher C. (2018) The Conjecture of Sovereignty: New Anxieties for the Subject. Journal of Extreme Anthropology 2(2): 92-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.5617/jea.6247.

Zeiher C. (2017) Unbehagen: A Gallantry with Excess. Palgrave Communictions 3 38: 13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/s41599-017-0035-y.

(2016) Embracing Žižek’s Unapologetic Profanity: Enjoying One’s Unfreedom. Continental Thought and Theory 1(1): 234-251.

Zeiher C. (2016) And What of The Left? Žižek's Refusal of the Current Leftist Parable. International Journal of Žižek Studies 10(2): 1-7.

Zeiher C. (2016) Embracing Zizek's Unapologetic Profanity: Enjoying One's Unfreedom. Continental Thought and Theory 1(1).

Zeiher C. (2016) The subject and the act: A necessary folie à deux to think politics. Filozofski Vestnik 37(1): 81-99.

Zeiher C. (2016) The Subject and the Act: A Necessary Folie à Deux to Think Politics. Filozofski Vestnik International XXXVII(1): 81-99.

Zeiher C. and Banbury J. (2016) Mana and Ideological Integrity: Solidarity or Just a Flash in the Pan? Counterfutures 1(2): 113-142.

Lacey C. and Zeiher C. (2015) Falling in Love is a Piece of Cake: A Cinematic Logic of Love. Écranosphère 2: 14pp.

Zeiher C. (2012) Between the Subject and the Social: Signifying Images of Desire and Ideological Subjectivities. International Journal of Žižek Studies 6(2): 26.

Edited Volumes

Zeiher C (Ed.) Zeiher C. (2023) Stupidity and Psychoanalysis. London: Rowman and Littlefield International.

Grimshaw M; Zeiher C (Ed.) (2017) 150 years of Capital. Continetal Thought & Theory 1(4)1-763.

Zeiher C; McGowan T (Ed.) (2017) Can Philosophy Love? Encounters and Reflections. London: Rowman and Littlefield International. 336.

Chapters

Zeiher C. (2022) Sex(uality) as State of Exception. In Colombo A; McGushin E; Pfieffer G (Ed.), The Politics of Desire: Foucault, Deleuze, and PsychoanalysisRowman and Littlefield International.

Zeiher C. (2022) Žižek and the Bartleby Paradox: I Would Prefer Not To? In Zalloua Z; Di Leo J (Ed.), Understanding Žižek, Understanding ModernismBloomsbury.

Zeiher C. (2021) Love Thy Enemy: Environment(al) Politics. In Burnham C; Kingsbury P (Ed.), Lacan and the EnvironmentPalgrave. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67205-8.

Zeiher C. (2020) Hypothesising Love: Lacan and Plato’s Symposium. In Basu Thakur G; Dickstein J (Ed.), Reading Lacan's Seminar VIII on Transference: 77-88. London: Palgrave Macmillan. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32742-2.

Zeiher C. (2020) The Transmission of an End – Mourning the Loss of the Analyst. In Dickstein J; Basu Thakur G (Ed.), Reading Lacan's Seminar VIII on Transference: 279-294. London: Palgrave. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32742-2_23.

Zeiher C. (2019) White Noise of Desire. In Overell R; Nicholls B (Ed.), Post-truth and the Mediation of Reality: New Conjunctures: 39-55.Palgrave Macmillan. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25670-8_3.

Zeiher C. (2017) Struggle as Love Par Excellence: Zupančič avec Badiou. In Zeiher C; McGowan T (Ed.), Can Philosophy Love? Reflections and Encounters: 297-310. London: Rowman Littlefield International.

Zeiher C. (2014) How to Kill Your Mother: Desire, Heavenly Creatures and Žižek’s Return to Ideology. In Flisfeder M; Willis LP (Ed.), Žižek and Media Studies: A Reader: 149-160. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Zeiher C. (2014) How to kill your mother: Heavenly creatures, desire, and Žižek’s return to ideology. Zizek and Media Studies: A Reader: 149-160. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137361516_12.

Zeiher C. (2014) Other/big Other. In Butler R (Ed.), The Žižek Dictionary: 205-208. Durham: Acumen Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315656229.

Oral Presentations

Zeiher C. (2022) An Interminable Impasse of a Case: Where is Dora’s Mother? The Heads, Bay of Islands, Aotearoa/NZ: The Clinical Praxis of Psychoanalysis, 11 Nov 2022.

Zeiher C. (2022) Earnestly Stupid or Stupidly Earnest? Lacan's Theory of Knowledge. University of Canterbury: UC Global Visions Seminar, 08 Apr 2022.

Zeiher C. (2022) Psychoanalysis' Slip of the Discourse. Ljubljana (via ZOOM): Rethinking Institutions: Heterodox and Critical Perspectives An international workshop, 26 Aug 2022.

Zeiher C. (2022) Sensation(all) Ontology. ZOOM - Ljubljana: Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) Invited Seminar, 08 Mar 2022.

Zeiher C. (2022) Where is Dora’s Mother? Ljubljana (via ZOOM): Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU Public Seminar, 16 May 2022.

Zeiher C. (2021) Invited Seminar: Reading Desire as Mediating Force. University of Otago; Media, Film and Communication Program: Media, Film and Communications Program Seminar Series, 08 Jun 2021.

Zeiher C. (2020) Invited Seminar: The Importance of Being Earnestly Stupid. Auckland: Centre for Lacanian Analysis Seminar Series, 23 Oct 2020.

Zeiher C. (2019) Invited Seminar - Lacan’s Fifth and Unfinished Discourse. Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana: Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU - Philosophical Module.

Zeiher C. (2019) Invited Seminar - On Refusal: Psychoanalysis, Negation and Politics. Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana: Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU Philosophical Module.

Zeiher C. (2019) Invited Seminar - Science as Worldview of Psychoanalysis? Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana: Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU - Philosophical Module.

Zeiher C. (2019) Invited Seminar - Surviving the Linguistic Turn: Love as Category of Psychoanalysis? Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana: Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU - Philosophical Module.

Zeiher C. (2019) Invited Seminar - The Case of Dora: Lacan's Critique of Freud. Paris: Invited Seminar at American University of Paris, Dept of History and Politics.

Zeiher C. (2017) Invited Seminar - Forgetting Technology. Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne School for Continental Philosophy: Technology, Knowledge, Truth Symposium, 15 Dec 2017.

Zeiher C. (2017) Invited Seminar - White Noise of Desire. University of Otago, Dunedin: University of Otago, Media and Communications, Guest Seminar.

Zeiher C. (2016) The Cruel Trick of Love: The Best Offer. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ: Canterbury School for Continental Philosophy Seminar Series.

Conference Contributions - Other

Zeiher C. (2022) The Necessary Limits for Thinking Freedom: Jankélévitch’s Stoicism. University of Canterbury: (De)Constructing Minorities and Freedoms - Les Minorités et les Libertés en (Dé)Construction, 7-9 Dec 2022.

Zeiher C. (2019) On the Jouissance of Refusal: Lacan avec Jankélévitch - Panel: ‘Separation as Renunciation’. Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts: LACKiii, 9-11 May 2019.

Zeiher C. (2018) Doing Things with Silence. Christchurch, New Zealand: New Society for Musicology Conference: 'Into the Unknown', 30 Nov-2 Dec 2018.

Zeiher C. (2018) Invited Keynote - Reversing Interpassive Environments: Neighbour as Social Gesture and Enemy as Social Duty. Vancouver, Canada: LaConference: Lacan and the Environment, 6-7 Apr 2018.

Zeiher C. (2018) The Jouissance of Unsayability. Sydney, Australia: Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy, 19-23 Nov 2018.

Zeiher C. (2018) The Unsayability of the Sexual Non Rapport. Melbourne, Australia: Lacan Study Day - Lacan Circle of Melbourne, 19 May 2018.

Zeiher C. (2018) The White Noise of Desire: Film and the Subject of Love. Auckland, New Zealand: Centre for Lacanian Analysis Conference, 23-25 Feb 2018.

Zeiher C. (2018) What Does Science Do to the Subject? Ghent, Belgium: Lacan Écrits Conference, 21-22 Sep 2018.

Zeiher C. (2017) The Problematic Politics of Nostalgia and the Tenacity of the Neighbour. Colorado Springs: LACK II, 19-22 Oct 2017.

Zeiher C. (2016) Intellectual Activism: A Devotion to the Praxis of One's Discipline. Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand: Social Movements and Resistance III Conference, 1-3 Sep 2016.

Zeiher C. (2016) On Being Quiet: An Erotic Relation with Words. Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA: Lack and Psychoanalysis, 3-5 Apr 2016.

Dickson A. and Zeiher C. (2015) How are we Harnessing Feminine Jouissance? Sydney, Australia: Reason Plus Enjoyment, 10-12 Jul 2015.

Kavka M., Lacey C. and Zeiher C. (2015) The Allure of Haunting: New Zealand and Film [NZ on Screen Panel]. Wellington, New Zealand: History of Emotions Conference, 3-5 Sep 2015.

Lacey C. and Zeiher C. (2015) The Role of Love in the Production of Knowledge. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand: Relationality, 18-20 Nov 2015.

Zeiher C. (2015) Invited Panel - Responding to Roland Boer's, In the Vale of Tears. Sydney, Australia: Historical Materialism, Australia, 17-18 Jul 2015.

Zeiher C. (2014) The Problem of Belief: Ideology, Capitalism and Desire. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ: Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ), 3-4 Dec 2014.

Zeiher C. (2014) The Question of Belief. University of Cincinnati, OH, USA: Zizek Studies Conference, 4-6 Apr 2014.

Zeiher C. (2013) Theorising Desire in the 21st Century. University of Western Sydney, Australia: Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy, 3-6 Dec 2013.

Zeiher C. (2012) Between the Subject and the Social: Signifying Images of Desire and Possible Subjectivities. SUNY, Brockport, New York, USA: Zizek Studies Conference, 28-29 Apr 2012.

Zeiher C. (2011) The Aftershock of Heavenly Creatures: Trauma as Socio-Symbolic. Wellington, New Zealand: Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ), 7-9 Dec 2011.

Zeiher C. (2011) The Language of Desire: Film as a Methodological Tool for Understanding Social Worlds. John Moores University, Liverpool, UK: Film-Philosophy Conference, 6-8 Jul 2011.

Discussion/Working Papers

Grace V. and Zeiher C. (2013) Lacan: Researching the Social [facilitated 2 day workshop]. .

Scholarly Editions/Literary Translations

Allouch J. (2022) Contemporary Implications of Michel Foucault.Translator (From French): CT&T: Continental Thought and Theory.44-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/13017.

Zeiher C. (2016) “Capital” after MEGA: Discontinuities, Interruptions, and New Beginnings by Michael Heinrich in Crisis and Critique 3(3).Translator: 93-138.

Theses / Dissertations

Zeiher C. (2014) The fantasy is the most real thing: exploring desire in the 21st Century: Zizek and ideology. PhD Thesis, Christchurch, New Zealand. University of Canterbury.

Other

Zeiher C. (2022) Nature's Conspiracy: Picnic at Hanging Rock. LACK: The Social Link [Online Essay Blog].

Zeiher C. and Grimshaw M. (2022) Introduction: Foucault's Method Today. CT&T: Continental Thought and Theory 3(4): 1-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/13014.

Zeiher C. (2019) Historical Memory and Ethnic Myths. In The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0242-8_7-1.

Zeiher C. and Grimshaw M. (2019) Introduction to Issue - (What does it mean to) Think the Novel? Continental Thought & Theory 2(3): 342.

Zeiher C. and Grimshaw M. (2019) Introduction: Can We Think of Hegel as Emancipatory? A Dedicated Reading of Todd McGowan’s, ‘Emancipation After Hegel’. CT&T: Continental Thought and Theory 2(4).

(2018) Introduction to Issue - Robert Pfaller's Interpassivity. Continental Thought & Theory 2(1): 385. http://ctt.canterbury.ac.nz/issues/vol-2-issue-1-june-2018-interpassivity/.

Zeiher C. and Grimshaw M. (2018) Introduction to Issue - Thinking Sex with Alenka Zupančič. Continental Thought & Theory 2(2): 162.

Grimshaw MP. and Zeiher C. (2017) Introduction to Issue: Debt and Value: Illusions of Axiology and Coherence. .

Zeiher C. and Grimshaw M. (2017) Introduction to Issue - 150 years of Capital. Continetal Thought & Theory 1(4): 1-763.

Zeiher C. and Grimshaw M. (2017) Introduction to Issue - What Does It Mean to be Feminist Today? CT&T: Continental Thought and Theory 2(1).

Grimshaw M. and Zeiher C. (2016) Baudrillard and Žižek: Short-circuiting the Parallax. International Journal of Zizek Studies 10(1): 1-15.

Grimshaw M. and Zeiher C. (2016) Baudrillard and Žižek: Short-circuiting the Parallax. International Journal of Zizek Studies 10(1) http://zizekstudies.org/index.php/IJZS/issue/view/49. International Journal of Zizek Studies 10(1) http://zizekstudies.org/index.php/IJZS/issue/view/49.

Zeiher C. and Grimshaw M. (2016) CT&T: Continental Thought and Theory. University of Canterbury.

Zeiher C. (2013) Tracking an Authority of Ideology: Žižek and Film Theory. A review of Flisfeder, Matthew, The Symbolic, the Sublime and Slavoj Žižek’s Theory of Film. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. TOPIA 29: 235-239. [Book review].

Future Research

I am currently working on a sole authored book focusing on a reading of Vladimir Jankelevitch via Jacques Lacan's theory of the speech-act. Additionally, I am working on a theorisation of Freud's case study, 'Dora'.

Key Methodologies

Psychoanalysis
Discourse analysis
Feminist analysis
Textual Analaysis
Creative Expression