Duane Rousselle


Duane Rousselle is a Lacanian psychoanalyst and professor of sociology. His work makes interventions into several academic fields including Social Movement Studies, Lacanian Psychoanalysis, Cultural Sociology, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Anarchist Studies, and Aesthetics. His work attempts to introduce an alternative to scholarly discourses that aim to produce consistent and coherent bodies of knowledge. It also offers a counterpoint to what Jacques Lacan has called "capitalist discourse."
He helped to contribute to the emergence of a new field of scholarly investigation known as "post-anarchism." He founded and edits the journal Anarchist Developments in Cultural Studies.

Biography

Duane was born in Miramichi, New Brunswick to Catholic parents. He attended the New Brunswick Community College and graduated with a diploma in Electronic Game Design. After participating in a hunger strike for admittance, he was accepted as a Sociology Major at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. During this first year of his university education, he experienced devastating poverty, sleeping on park benches. He received numerous prestigious awards, including the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick silver medal for excellence in scholarship.
He went on to complete a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of New Brunswick before joining the PhD program in Cultural Studies from Trent University, Peterborough. During his time in Peterborough, Ontario, he became a Freemason. He was awarded the Governor General of Canada Gold Medal for his research into clinical psychoanalysis and continental philosophy.
He studied also at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, working as an assistant for Slavoj Zizek and Alain Badiou.

Personal life

In 2016, Duane raised more than $100,000 to help rebuild a mosque that was attacked in a hate crime in Peterborough, Ontario. His efforts received international attention and he was invited for a private meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. This was the subject of a documentary film by Matthew Hayes, The Masjid. Duane received several death threats at this time and went into hiding.
Duane converted to Islam in order to marry his partner. This relationship was documented by Colin Boyd Shafer in his documentary photo exhibit Interlove Project. The marriage ended in divorce after several traumatic incidents involving the family.
In 2019, Duane moved to Mumbai, India.

Books