Animals as Large-Group Symbols

article

Vamık D. Volkan

Abstract

The author writes about animal symbols being used to represent large groups for political propaganda as well as how they can be used to dehumanize an enemy. He provides a variety of examples from primitive times to present day.

Keywords:

animal symbols, cultural semiotics, dehumanization, Donald Trump, genocide rhetoric, human-animal connection, large-group symbols, political propaganda, psychoanalysis, psychobiography, psychohistory

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About the author

Vamık D. Volkan

Vamık D. Volkan, MD, is an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia and an Emeritus Training and Supervising Analyst at the Washington-Baltimore Psychoanalytic Institute. He is the Emeritus President of the International Dialogue Initiative and a former President of the Turkish-American Neuropsychiatric Society, the International Society of Political Psychology, the Virginia Psychoanalytic Society, and the American College of Psychoanalysts. Prof. Volkan may be contacted at .

How to cite this article

Volkan, V. D. (2025). Animals as large-group symbols. Clio’s Psyche, 32(3), 307-309.

https://doi.org/10.70763/498f2c21688f6451d9f5fd09d53edda7