Laurence Arthur Rickels

Laurence Arthur Rickels is a Professor of Psychoanalysis and holder of the Sigmund Freud Chair at The European Graduate School (EGS), and a professor of Art and Theory at Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe, Germany. His work bridges psychoanalysis, literary theory, and cultural studies, focusing on themes like mourning, vampirism, Nazi Germany, and science fiction. He holds a PhD in German Literature from Princeton University and a master’s in clinical psychology from Antioch University. Rickels taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) from 1990–2011, where he also held adjunct roles in Art and Film & Media Studies.

His research explores intersections between psychoanalysis and political history, notably in works like Nazi Psychoanalysis and Germany: A Science Fiction. He has authored over twenty books, including The Vampire Lectures and I Think I Am: Philip K. Dick, blending scholarly rigor with cultural critique. His awards include the Morton Prize (1972) for work on mourning in Holocaust survivors.

Rickels’ para-academic activities include curation (e.g., “Art/Journalism” and “Alle-Gory”) and film projects, such as co-producing SPROUT (2010). His lectures, like those on Goethe and the Frankfurt School, are legendary for their interdisciplinary reach.