Jacques Derrida: Live Theory - Softcover

'[will] excite and engage'--Arnab Chatterjee, Political Studies Review 'Over the coming decades [Derrida's] work will be repeatedly examined to find what in it calls forth new futures for reading, writing and thinking. James K. A. Smith's lucid and comprehensive guide to Derrida places its readers in an enviable vantage point to see those diverse futures as they begin to arrive and change our lives.' Kevin Hart, Professor and Chair of English, University of Notre Dame 'James K.A. Smith has written a lively, sure-footed guide to key landmarks in the immense territory of Derrida' thought .... The task of reading Derrida has only just begun and Smith's book issues an open and congenial invitation to get on with it. ' Peggy Kamuf, Marion Frances Chevalier Professor of French and Comparative Literature, University of Southern California 'James K. A. Smith's Jacques Derrida: Live Theory is extremely accessible - it is very well-written in a clear and attractive prose, moving smoothly across many different topics at a good pace ... his choice of themes offers a good representation of the main dimensions of Derrida's thought ... Smith takes the reader on an engaging and very lucid tour of Derrida's oeuvre.'--Sanford Lakoff "Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "

Jacques Derrida: Live Theory is a new introduction to the work of this most influential of contemporary philosophers. It covers Derrida's corpus in its entirety - from his earliest work in phenomenology and the philosophy of language, to his most recent work in ethics, politics and religion. It investigates Derrida's contribution to, and impact upon such disciplines as philosophy, literary theory, cultural studies, aesthetics and theology. Throughout, the key concepts that underpin Derrida's thought are thoroughly examined; in particular, the notion of 'the Other' or 'alterity' is employed to indicate a fundamental continuity from Derrida's earliest to his latest work. The text emphasizes the importance of understanding Derrida's philosophical heritage as the key to understanding the interdisciplinary impact of his project. In the wake of Derrida's death, the book includes an interview that interrogates the very notion of live theory as a way into the core themes of deconstruction.