Read complete books and articles on: Deconstruction

Deconstruction - in linguistics, philosophy, and literary theory, the exposure and undermining of the metaphysical assumptions involved in systematic attempts to ground knowledge, especially in academic disciplines such as structuralism and semiotics. The term "deconstruction" was coined by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1960s. In general, deconstruction is a

Extending the philosophical excursions of Nietzsche and Heidegger, Derrida criticized the entire tradition of Western philosophy's search to discover the essential structure of knowledge and reality, ultimately confronting the limits of human thought. As an extension of his theory of logocentrism, Derrida posited that all texts are based on hierarchical dualisms (e.g., being/nonbeing, reality/appearance, male/female), where the first element is regarded as stronger and thus essentially true and that all systems of thought have an assumed center, or Archimedean point, upon which they are based. In a deconstructionist reading, this unconscious and unarticulated point is revealed, and in this revelation the binary structure upon which the text rests is imploded. Thus what appears stable and logical is revealed to be illogical and paradoxical, and interpretation is by its very nature misinterpretation.

To a deconstructionist, meaning includes what is left out of the text or ignored or silenced by it. Because deconstruction is an attack on the very existence of theories and conceptual systems, its exposition by Derrida and others purposely resists logical definitions and explanations, opting instead for alinear presentations based on extensive wordplay and puns. Deconstructionists tend to concentrate on close readings of particular texts, focusing on how these texts refer to other texts. Certain scholars have severely criticized this movement on this basic point.

Nevertheless, deconstruction, especially as articulated in Derrida's writings and as promoted by Paul de Man and others, has had a profound effect on many fields of knowledge in American universities, particularly during the 1970s and 80s. In addition to philosophy and literary theory, the techniques and ideas of deconstruction have been employed by scholars in history, sociology, educational theory, linguistics, art, and architecture. While the theory has lost much of its intellectual currency, the general acceptance and popularity of interdisciplinary scholarship in the 1980s and 90s are regarded by many as an outgrowth of deconstruction.

See J. Culler, On Deconstruction (1982); R. Gasche, The Tain of the Mirror: Derrida and the Philosophy of Reflection (1986); P. Kamuf, A Derrida Reader: Between the Blinds (1991).

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13 of the Best Books and Articles on: Deconstruction

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Deconstruction in a Nutshell: A Conversation with Jacques Derrida » Read Now
by John D. Caputo, Jacques Derrida. 216 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Responding to questions put to him at a Roundtable held at Villanova University in 1994, Jacques Derrida leads the reader through an illuminating discussion of the central themes of deconstruction. Speaking in English and extemporaneously, Derrida takes up with clarity and eloquence such topics as...
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Responding to questions put to him at a Roundtable held at Villanova University in 1994, Jacques Derrida leads the reader through an illuminating discussion of the central themes of deconstruction. Speaking in English and extemporaneously, Derrida takes up with clarity and eloquence such topics as the task of philosophy, the Greeks, justice, responsibility, the gift, community, the distinction between the messianic and the concrete messianisms, and his interpretation of James Joyce. Derrida convincingly refutes the charges of relativism and nihilism that are often leveled at deconstruction by its critics, and sets forth the profoundly affirmative ethico-political thrust of this work. The Roundtable is annotated by John D. Caputo, the David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University, who has supplied cross-references to Derrida's writings, where the reader may find further discussion on these topics. Professor Caputo has also supplied a commentary which elaborates the principal issuesraised in the Roundtable.
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2.

Realism, Discourse and Deconstruction » Read Now
by Jonathan Joseph, John Michael Roberts. 309 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

This collection reflects the growing interest realist critics have shown towards forms of discourse theory and deconstruction.
3.

Derrida and Deconstruction » Read Now
by Hugh J. Silverman. 258 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library
4.

The Theory Mess: Deconstruction in Eclipse » Read Now
by Herman Rapaport. 188 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Although deconstruction has become a popular catchword, as an intellectual movement it has never entirely caught on within the university. For some in the academy, deconstruction, and Jacques Derrida in particular, are responsible for the demise of accountability in the study of literature...
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Although deconstruction has become a popular catchword, as an intellectual movement it has never entirely caught on within the university. For some in the academy, deconstruction, and Jacques Derrida in particular, are responsible for the demise of accountability in the study of literature. Countering these facile dismissals of Derrida and deconstruction, Herman Rapaport explores the incoherence that has plagued critical theory since the 1960s and the resulting legitimacy crisis in the humanities. Against the backdrop of a rich, informed discussion of Derrida's writings -- and how they have been misconstrued by critics and admirers alike -- The Theory Mess investigates the vicissitudes of Anglo-American criticism over the past thirty years and proposes some possibilities for reform.
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5.

Deconstruction and Pragmatism » Read Now
by Chantal Mouffe. 88 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Deconstruction and pragmatism constitute two of the major intellectual influences on the contemporary theoretical scene; influences personified in the work of Jacques Derrida and Richard Rorty. Both Rortian pragmatism, which draws the consequences of post-war developments in Anglo-American...
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Deconstruction and pragmatism constitute two of the major intellectual influences on the contemporary theoretical scene; influences personified in the work of Jacques Derrida and Richard Rorty. Both Rortian pragmatism, which draws the consequences of post-war developments in Anglo-American philosophy, and Derridian deconstruction, which extends and troubles the phonomenological and Heideggerian influence on the Continental tradition, have hitherto generally been viewed as mutually exclusive philosophical language games.The purpose of this volume is to bring deconstruction and pragmatism into critical confrontation with one another through staging a debate between Derrida and Rorty, itself based on discussions that took place at the College International de Philosophie in Paris in 1993. The ground for this debate is layed out in introductory papers by Simon Critchley and Ernesto Laclau, and the remainder of the volume records Derrida's and Rorty's responses to each other's work. Chantal Mouffe gives an overview of the stakes of this debate in a helpful preface.
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6.

Interpretation, Deconstruction, and Ideology: An Introduction to Some Current Issues in Literary Theory » Read Now
by Christopher Butler. 180 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Literature, Entire Library
7.

Constructive Postmodernism: Toward Renewal in Cultural and Literary Studies » Read Now
by Martin Schiralli, Ralph A. Smith, Matthew Kieran. 163 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Literature, Entire Library

Are indeterminancy and relativism the only possible consequences of embracing the uncertainties of the postmodern era? Are other less deconstructive options to be found emmbedded in postmodernism's many ambiguities? In arguing affirmatively to both questions, this study points--in a constructively...
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Are indeterminancy and relativism the only possible consequences of embracing the uncertainties of the postmodern era? Are other less deconstructive options to be found emmbedded in postmodernism's many ambiguities? In arguing affirmatively to both questions, this study points--in a constructively postmodern way--toward renewal in literary and cultural theory.
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8.

Jacques Derrida and the Humanities: A Critical Reader » Read Now
by Tom Cohen. 327 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

The work of Jacques Derrida has transformed our understanding of a range of disciplines in the humanities through its questioning of some of the basic tenets of western metaphysics. This volume is a trans-disciplinary collection dedicated to his work. The assembled contributions--on law, literature...
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The work of Jacques Derrida has transformed our understanding of a range of disciplines in the humanities through its questioning of some of the basic tenets of western metaphysics. This volume is a trans-disciplinary collection dedicated to his work. The assembled contributions--on law, literature, ethics, gender, politics and psychoanalysis--constitute an investigation of the role of Derrida's work in the humanities, present and future. The volume is distinguished by work on some of his most recent writings, and contains Derrida's own address on "the future of the humanities".
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9.

Being and Becoming: A Critique of Post-Modernism » Read Now
by F. F. Centore. 290 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Contemporary society, according to Centore, is dominated by a post-modern philosophical world-view. Lacking until now, from the many works that have been written on post-modernism, is one that scrutinizes its fundamental assumptions and presuppositions. Being and Becoming attempts to fill this need...
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Contemporary society, according to Centore, is dominated by a post-modern philosophical world-view. Lacking until now, from the many works that have been written on post-modernism, is one that scrutinizes its fundamental assumptions and presuppositions. Being and Becoming attempts to fill this need by synthesizing the key developments in contemporary post-modernism. By taking the reader through the various historical periods and developments which have led to the current situation, Centore shows what is now taken for granted by the vast majority of people is not necessary for either philosophical or theological reasons.
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10.

Knowing Other-Wise: Philosophy at the Threshold of Spirituality » Read Now
by James H. Olthuis. 244 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, Entire Library

This collection explores the contributions of feminist thought and such thinkers as Emmanuel Levinas, Richard Rorty, Jacques Derrida, and John D. Caputo to a spiritually and ethically sensitive knowing.
11.

Deconstruction and the Get-Real Press, in Columbia Journalism Review » Read Now
by Mitchell Stephens. 5 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library
12.

Aporia and the Emptied Teacher: Deconstruction and the Unraveling of (Con) "Texts", in College Literature » Read Now
by Kevin Lagrandeur. 11 pgs.

Collections: Education, Literature, Entire Library
13.

Deconstruction: Fad or Philosophy?, in Humanitas » Read Now
by David R. Keller. 18 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library