Biography
- 1930 - 2004
- El Biar, Algiers
- Literary theory, deconstruction, philosophy of language
- Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher and literary theorist who is known for his contributions to the fields of literary theory and philosophy of language. He was born in El Biar, Algiers and later studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Derrida's work focused on the ways in which meaning is created and conveyed in language and literature, and he is best known for his concept of "deconstruction," which suggests that meaning is not fixed, but rather is constantly being negotiated and reinterpreted.
Highlight
- Jacques Derrida is known for his contributions to the fields of literary theory and philosophy of language, and is best known for his concept of "deconstruction."
- Philosophers/Modern Era/Ferdinand de Saussure - Derrida's work in philosophy of language was heavily influenced by Ferdinand de Saussure's theories of language and communication.
- Roland Barthes - Derrida's concept of "deconstruction" is closely related to Roland Barthes's concept of the "death of the author," which suggests that the meaning of a text is not determined by the intentions of its creator, but rather by the ways in which it is interpreted by its readers.
Books
- Of Grammatology - a major work by Derrida that explores the ways in which language and writing shape our understanding of the world.
- Writing and Difference - a collection of essays by Derrida that examine the relationship between language, culture, and identity.
Concepts
- Deconstruction - the idea that meaning is not fixed, but rather is constantly being negotiated and reinterpreted.
- Philosophy of language - the study of the nature of language and its relationship to thought and reality.
- Différance - a term coined by Derrida that refers to the way in which language is always deferred and displaced, and the ways in which this shapes our understanding of the world.
References
- Derrida, J. (1976). Of grammatology (translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Derrida, J. (1978). Writing and difference (translated by Alan Bass). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Jacques Derrida. (n.d.). In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/derrida/