Jacques Derrida Student Edition Structure Sign and Play
- Slides: 12
Jacques Derrida Student Edition Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences Edited by: Dr. Kay Picart and Brett Ader
Early Derrida ► Born 1930 in Algiers (French colony in N. Africa) ► Born into Jewish family ► Experienced cultural marginalization ► Expelled from first school because his presence exceeded the allowed amount of Jewish students. ► Left second school because of anti-Semitic hostilities
1966 John Hopkins colloquium ► The purpose of this colloquium was to introduce Structuralism ► Structuralism promised to provide such fields as anthropology and literary criticism with a scientific basis of study ► Presenting his paper last, Derrida put all of Structuralism into doubt.
Levi-Strauss ► He named structuralism ► He applied structuralism to his anthropological work. ► He sought in his works to create a “grammar” of myths based on his analysis of Nambikwara in S. America ► He believed his research would reveal a structure for myths related to all cultures
What are some of Derrida’s criticisms of structuralism? ► ____________________________________ _ ► ____________________________________ _
Why, for Derrida, are binaries problematic? ► __________________ __________________ ► __________________
Deconstructing Plato ► Plato condemns imitation ► Yet, he himself is speaking through the voice of Socrates ► Therefore, Plato is an imitator
Dance and Play of Differences If Plato is an imitator, then his work is unreliable ► If Plato’s work is unreliable, then imitation is an acceptable means of literary expression ► Therefore, if imitation is acceptable then Plato’s work is reliable ► And the cycle begins again ►
Question ► In your opinion, how successfully could Deconstruction be used for any political agenda?
Works Cited ► Derrida, Jacques. “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences. ” Critical Theory Since Plato Edited by Hazard Adams 1992 Heinle & Heinle ► Powell, Jim. Derrida for Beginners Dansbury, CT: Writers and Readers 1997 ► Palmer, Donald. Structuralism and Post Structuralism for Beginners Dansbury, CT: Writers and Readers 1997