Our Debt to Derrida
From: Stephen Cullenberg (stephen.cullenberg@UCR.EDU)
Date: Thu Oct 14 2004 - 19:42:39 EDT
This is the leader that the Guardian published on
Monday. I find it an especially succinct and thoughtful comment on
Derrida's intellectual contribution. As to Derrida's influence on
politics, the last line in this leader captures it nicely in my
view: "Thanks
to Derrida, many new voices were heard. " That is a political
intervention not to be undervalued in my view. Certainly, he's not
the only reason new voices have been heard, nor is he Marx, but his
political legacy will be with us for a long time.
Steve
Our debt to
Derrida
Leader
Monday October 11, 2004
The
Guardian
Jacques Derrida, the French scholar who died on Friday, had a dramatic
impact on the study of literature in the postwar period. His theory of
deconstruction has influenced - consciously or unconsciously - a great
deal of modern scholarship and seeped inexorably into other arenas and
media, from George Bush's election advertising to architectural
criticism. Yet his theories remain controversial. For many, Derrida
personified the worst type of "French fraud", in the manner of
Jean-François Lyotard and Michel Foucault, impenetrable theorists who
spouted nonsense. Yet much criticism of Derrida's work was cheap
anti-intellectualism or a wilful distortion of his ideas. He should be
remembered as a profound thinker who made a lasting contribution to
intellectual discourse.
Deconstruction, in terms of literary theory, springs from a simple idea
that originated with Friedrich Nietzsche: that any text is open to an
infinite number of interpretations. That makes it possible to ignore the
author's intentions, stated or otherwise, and examine a text for meanings
that would otherwise be uncomfortable or hidden. This thought is little
different to some of Ludwig Wittgenstein's ideas, but by concentrating on
epistemology he avoided the obloquy heaped on Derrida.
Part of the problem for Derrida's critics is that they sought to hang
upon him all their fears of postmodernism and relativism. Much of this
was unfair, since he could not be held accountable for the journeys to
the wilder shores of theory by some of his supporters and fellow
travellers. What was important was that deconstruction held that no text
was above analysis or closed to alternative interpretation. It is no
coincidence that it came into vogue in the 1960s and 1970s, when many
cultural and social institutions were being challenged. As a result,
Derrida became popular among those willing to question the sterile idea
of a "western canon" who wanted to expand literary discourse so
that writers such as Mary Elizabeth Braddon could sit alongside the
Brontes. Thanks to Derrida, many new voices were heard.
Stephen
Cullenberg
Professor of Economics
University of
California
Riverside, CA
92521
Office: 951-827-1573
Fax: 951-787-5685
Email: stephen.cullenberg@ucr.edu
http://www.economics.ucr.edu/people/cullenberg.html
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