Transversality, constraint and desire in Australian and Iranian classrooms

Félix Guattari’s concepts were evolved in practical situations, often working with groups to change their situation. Transversality was one of his earliest conceptions (Guattari in psychoanalysis and transversality: texts and interviews 1955–1971. Semiotext(e), South Pasadena, 2015) and was designed to enhance communication between parties and to transform group dynamics. This chapter takes the concept of transversality as an educational thought, capable of dealing with aspects of globalization such as the loss of identity in a global capitalist situation and asks the questions: (1) How can we enact transversality for educational contexts such as Australia and Iran, and thus to help us understand globalization? (2) Further, what are the practical steps to perform transversality in education across international borders? (3) What are the possible contradictions/paradoxes in the application of transversality to globalized educational contexts? This chapter will look at the different contexts for education in Australia and Iran that have been chosen due to their relationships with capitalism. The key terms of analysis of these educational contexts for the chapter will be ‘constraint’ and ‘desire’ in both locations. The notion of transversality was invented by Guattari against the backdrop of and in Lacanian psychoanalysis, and the key differences between Lacanian psychoanalysis and Guattarian transversality will guide the unpacking of constraint and desire in Australian and Iranian teaching and learning contexts.