With my last breath: a psychoanalytic theory of the respiratory drive and speech as a trauma-object in the face of state violence

This paper explores the significance of breath in the context of Freudian drive theory, positing respiration as a primary, life-sustaining force that precedes and underpins the other drives. The author examines breath’s role as an autonomous drive and its preeminence in human subjectivity, drawing on Freudian and Lacanian frameworks as well as the work of André Green, Jean Laplanche, and Frantz Fanon. The analysis further reveals the role of speech as a medium of expression and resistance, functioning as a trauma-object in response to sociopolitical duress and state violence. Highlighting breath’s critical function in articulating suffering and protest, this paper positions it as both a vital biological act and a profound psychoanalytic and political statement.