Re-Imagining the Shadow

Abstract

This brief article draws attention to our foundational conception of “the shadow” within depth psychological scholarship and popular culture. Specifically, this article hones in on the language of ownership and eternal combat, which often appears in relation to this facet of the human psyche. Thereafter, this article explores the implications of that language and draws on James Baldwin’s concept of “use”/“using” to offer an alternative conceptualization of “the shadow” and our relationship to it.