Critique and Affirmation in Erich Fromm. Humanistic Politics and the Psychoanalytic Clinic

Matheus Romanetto, Routledge 2025, 298 Pages, ISBN 9781032708447

Matheus Romanetto, fellow of the Erich Fromm Foundation between 2020 and 2022, explores in this book the relations between Erich Fromm’s theory and practice in politics and the psychoanalytic clinic – their points of continuity and contradiction. Drawing on a systematic reading of Fromm’s published output, as well as extensive research in the Fromm Literary Estate located at the Erich Fromm Institute in Tübingen (Germany), the author extracts the fragments of ontology, logic, and ethics implicit in his writings, leading to a re-evaluation of Fromm’s place in 20th century intellectual history.

The various contributions are characterized by a thorough study of Fromm’s writings and Fromm’s preliminary work on his publications. The author also had the opportunity to evaluate the non-publicly accessible Fromm correspondence for his Fromm research. Even if the discussion of other important lines of Fromm’s reception and criticism is too brief, the detailed source analyses represent an important contribution to Fromm research.

Table of Contents

Part I: Metapsychology and Society

1. Phenomenology and Dynamics of Erich Fromm’s Works

Part II: Life and Politics

2. Anthropology and Sociology

3. To Go to the Roots: Fromm and Marcuse After the Dissent Debate

Part III: Ontology and the Clinic

4. Aspects of Ontology (1937-1964)

5. To Touch Reality: Language and Experience in Erich Fromm’s Clinics

Part IV: Critique and Praxis

6. Aspects of Logic and Ethics (1964-1980)

7. To Fill the Hearts of Men with A New Spirit: Politics in Erich Fromm’s Thought and Action

Conclusion: Toward a Political Sociology