Fascism's Erotic Register

In Fascism’s Erotic Register, psychoanalyst Sue Grand invites us to see fascism not just as a political pathology, but as a psychic and emotional formation shaped by how desire, fear, and identity intertwine. Drawing on Umberto Eco’s idea of “Ur-Fascism,” she emphasizes that fascism isn’t tied to a single ideology; it thrives on a recurring structure that sacralizes violence and rigid gender hierarchies. In this framework, fascism does more than oppress in the name of power: it eroticizes domination itself. The cult of hyper-hetero-masculinity, disdain for women, and the relentless policing of bodies deemed “perverse” become a kind of collective obsession that fuels both attraction and repulsion toward authoritarian leaders.

Grand’s exploration goes beyond historical examples like Mussolini’s theatrical displays of machismo to comment on current movements that mobilize paranoia about gender, race, and sexuality. Those labeled “deviant”—trans people, racial and ethnic minorities, non-traditional families—are projected as existential threats precisely because they unsettle the rigid binaries at fascism’s core. By splitting off its own anxieties into an “Other,” fascism turns hatred and erotic fixation into a political ritual.

The most striking insight is that antifascist resistance isn’t only a matter of policy or protest; it’s also a psychological and cultural task. Grand argues that the same category of “deviance” fascism fears could be an antifascist force when liberated from stigma. Recognizing and affirming diverse bodies, identities, and pleasures undermines the fantasy structure that fascism exploits.

What emerges is a call to understand political violence as deeply entangled with psychic life, and to reclaim desire from authoritarian narratives that would distort it into fear and exclusion.

You can find the complete article here: https://analytic-room.com/essays/fascisms-erotic-register-by-sue-grand/

She is also featured on the Room's podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fascisms-erotic-lure-with-sue-grand/id1646473992?i=1000704764698