Kenna Borland Discusses Feminist Psychoanalysis in Vancouver

Fri. Nov. 14, 2025

Kenna Borland is a current student in the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies program, and holds a BA Honours in English from The University of Winnipeg. As if beginning a graduate program were not enough, Kenna’s academic year started with extra excitement. Over the summer Kenna was accepted to participate in LaConference 2025: Feminine Desire. The conference, organized by Corpo Freudiano Vancouver: Lacanian School of Psychoanalysis, was held in October, just six weeks after the start of classes.

Upon her return, we checked in with Kenna to learn more.

First off, can you tell us a bit about yourself, your program, and your research interests?

I am a graduate student in the Cultural Studies program. I completed my BA in the English Honours program at the University of Winnipeg, which is where I discovered my passion for critical theory. I am very committed to further research in the area of psychoanalytic theory, particularly the Lacanian tradition and its contributions to sexuality studies and cultural studies. Contrary to some belief that psychoanalysis is incompatible with areas like sexuality and cultural studies, I contest this, and I have in the past written about the promising and often overlooked site that is Lacanian psychoanalysis in these areas because of its deep and rigorous focus on subjectivity and language.

I approach my research from a feminist perspective, and have found it the most helpful in trying to answer some of the most difficult questions, such as: where does misogyny come from? How and why did gender come to exist as it does today? In what ways do common ideas of gender and sexuality fall short or fail? In other words, I see psychoanalysis not as a remanent of a bygone era, but rather a radical and fruitful site for rethinking certain ways of approaching different disciplines, from psychology to cultural, sexuality, and political studies.

Congratulations on being selected to participate in the LaConference! Can you tell us about what your role was, and what made you decide to apply?

The conference theme was ‘Feminine Sexuality’ in Lacanian psychoanalysis. It was also in memoriam of two very impressive psychoanalytic scholars who have died in the past few years; Anne Dufourmantelle and Mari Ruti. I had the opportunity to speak on the panel for ‘Risk’, which was a theme both women wrote about extensively in relation to psychoanalysis.

My presentation was about how Lacan’s re-reading of the Cartesian notion of being/thinking mirrors masculine/feminine knowledge (or, desire/drive) in sexual difference. In this sense, the feminine position risks being (ideas of power and affirmation) as it situates itself on the side of the unconscious (lack), thinking, and drive. The theme encouraged me to think more about the role of risk and failure in psychoanalysis itself, and how we might extend or apply this to the political.

I applied to the conference for a few reasons, but mainly because this area of research can be rather niche. So, I thought the conference would be a good opportunity to connect with other people interested in this area, and to hear what other scholars in the area are currently thinking about and researching.

What were some of the connections between your presentation and other events at the conference? Did you have a chance to connect with or socialize with researchers from other institutions?

The other presentations at the conference varied, however most centred around the question of the potentiality of feminine desire. Topics ranged from feminine writing and theology, all the way to politics, conspiracy theories, and artificial intelligence. There was an emphasis on thinking about our contemporary moment, not only in terms of feminism or politics, but also where the discipline is at more generally and how, collectively, we may proceed in exploring it and applying it to other areas. I did have a chance to connect with other researchers, from Canada, the US, and even New Zealand, and it was amazing to see not only how international this community is, but also the different ways we all approach it.

What was the highlight of the conference for you and what are you going to take away from your experience there?

It is difficult to pick one highlight. Some moments I continue to think about are the presentations of ‘Personal Encounters’ with Mari Ruti, where her former friends and graduate students spoke candidly about her work and impact. Much of that panel included creative writing and even theatrical performance which really stood out from the rest of the conference.

Other presenters on other panels reworked some of Lacan’s ‘mathemes’ and diagrams which sparked some really interesting questions in the discussion period. Overall, I continue to think about some of the questions and discussion that took place after the presentations such as: ‘what are limits of the ‘matheme?’, and ‘how do we make sense of sexual difference being a binary when this does not correspond to a biologically essential binary?’. Mostly, I take with me the invaluable insights of the other scholars who attended and spoke.

Based on your experience, do you have any advice for students about to attend their first conference?

Just go for it. It felt very fitting for me, as it was my first conference presentation, to be speaking on the panel on ‘Risk’ because public speaking, especially when it is in front of a group of experts, feels like a risk in a lot of ways. My advice would be, don’t be afraid to fail, because failure is an imaginary concept anyways. If you are passionate about something and want to gain some experience or connections, just do it horrified. And of course, if you are presenting never forget to breathe and no matter how slow you think you are speaking, remember to speak even slower.

Thanks, Kenna! And congratulations on a successful first conference experience!