'Deconstruction is not neutral. It intervenes' Jacques Derrida An idiosyncratic and highly controversial French philosopher, Jacques Derrida inspired profound changes in disciplines as diverse as law, anthropology, literature and architecture. In Derrida's view, texts and contexts are woven with inconsistencies and blindspots that provide us with a chance to think in new ways about, among other things, language, community, identity and forgiveness. Derrida's suggestions for 'how to read' lead to a new vision of ethics and a new concept of responsibility. Penelope Deutscher discusses extracts from the full range of Derrida's work, including Of Grammatology, Dissemination, Limited Inc, The Other Heading: Reflections on Europe, Monolinguism of the Other, Given Time and Force of Law.

Deconstruction is not neutral. It intervenes' Jacques Derrida

Penelope Deutscher is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Northwestern University. Her books include Yielding Gender: Feminism, Deconstruction and the History of Philosophy, and A Politics of Impossible Difference: The Later Work of Luce Irigaray.