Fethi Benslama (born 1951) is a French psychoanalyst of Tunisian origin. He is a Professor of Psychopathology at

Paris Diderot University Paris Diderot University, also known as Paris 7 (french: Université Paris Diderot), was a French university located in Paris, France. It was one of the inheritors of the historic University of Paris, which was split into 13 universities in 197 ...

, and the author of several books about political Islam.

Early life

Fethi Benslama was born on July 31, 1951VIAF
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Salakta Salakta is a small Tunisian village situated by the sea. Salakta has been occupied or ruled by many civilisations, including the Phoenicians, Byzantines, Romans, and Muslim Oubéidines. The attractions include a beach, catacombs, an ancient cem ...

, Tunisia.

Career

Benslama is a psychoanalyst. He is a Professor of Psychopathology at

, and a member of the

Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts The Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts (''Beït al-Hikma'') is a scholarly national academy based in Tunis. It is housed officially in a mid-19th century palace, Zarrouk Palace, situated on the Mediterranean coast at the base of the ...

. He has authored several books about political Islam, including one about the Arab Spring. He has argued that radical Islam shares elements with religious cults, but he adds that it is partly based on a shared "Islamic identity myth" born out of the reality of war. He has also argued that terrorists kill for the sake of "

jouissance ''Jouissance'' is a French term meaning "enjoyment", which in Lacanianism is taken in terms both of rights and property, and of sexual orgasm. The latter has a meaning partially lacking in the English word "enjoyment". The term denotes a transgr ...

," not to act upon suicidal ideation. Benslama is the co-founder of a deradicalization center for French youths who return to France after visiting Syria. In the wake of the

2016 Nice truck attack On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, resulting in the deaths of 86 people and the injury of 458 others. The dri ...

, he called for the press to stop publishing the pictures and names of terrorists to avoid their "glorification".

Works

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References

External links

Faculty webpage
Living people People from Mahdia Governorate Tunisian expatriates in France Tunisian psychoanalysts Tunisian scholars of Islam Academic staff of the University of Paris Counterterrorism theorists 1951 births Members of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts {{Tunisia-bio-stub