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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
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Jacques DerridaStudent 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.
What is Structuralism? • __________________________________________________________________ • __________________________________________________________________ • ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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? • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________
What is deconstruction? • ______________________________________________________ • ______________________________________________________ • ______________________________________________________
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