The Ecology of Language | Online Lecture by Dr Ian McCallum

From The Red Book by Carl Jung“In the beginning was the word….”  St. John 1:1

To me, depth psychology and deep ecology are two sides of the same coin, two lenses for exploring and embracing the deeper, mostly hidden connections and dynamics of life, more especially, the myriad ways in which it is expressed.  As disciplines, both  appreciate the difference between shallowness and depth. It is in this light, that the historical reference to analysis (and by extension, to any form of psychodynamic therapy) as a “talking cure” is a shallow definition. It fails to appreciate the vast difference between an individual’s speech and that same individual’s voice. While both are significant to the definition of spoken language, speech is mostly shallow. Voice is always deep. It is grounded, Earth-bound and poetic. It resonates. You know this when you hear it. In this presentation I will explore the relevance of the historical ecology of spoken language to analytical work.

Key concepts:  psyche, soul, engagement, participation, reciprocity, relationship, responsibility.

More About the Presenter Ian McCallum is a psychiatrist, analytical psychologist, and a foundation member of SAAJA. He is an adjunct professor at the Nelson Mandela University Graduate School of Business in Port Elizabeth and an honorary lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cape Town. His interests focus on evolutionary biology, conservation psychology and environmental ethics. He is the author of two anthologies of wilderness poems: Wild Gifts (1999), Untamed (2012). He was the writer/poet for the Mail and Guardian award winning ‘UNTAMED’ exhibition at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (2010-2012). His book Ecological Intelligence – Rediscovering Ourselves in Nature won the Wild Literary Award at the World Wilderness Congress in Mexico 2009. He is a co-founder of the International League of Conservation Writers (www.ilcwriters.org), a specialist wilderness guide and trustee of the Cape Leopard Trust and a founding partner of safari organisation Invent Africa (www.inventafrica.co.za). Cost R150 BOOKING INFORMATION | Advanced Booking Essential Please book tickets online below. Bookings close at 14:00 on Tuesday, 15 November 2022. The Zoom link will be distributed at 14:30 on the day of the event. We invite students to contact us for 50% discount to all our events. In the event of tickets being sold out or sales closed, a recording of the lecture will be available for purchase. Please send enquiries in this regard to saaja@mweb.co.za For more information contact SAAJA at +27 21 689 6090 or email saaja@mweb.co.za