Understanding Derrida

Jacques Derrida continues to be the world's single most influential philosophical and literary theorist. He is also one of the most controversial and most complex. His own works and critical studies of his work proliferate, but where can a student, utterly new to the work of Derrida, start? Understanding Derrida is written as an introduction to the full range of Derrida's key ideas and influences. It brings together the world's leading authorities on Derrida, each writing a short, accessible essay on one central aspect of his work. Framed by a clear introduction and a complete bibliography of Derrida's publications in English, the essays systematically analyze one aspect of Derrida's work, each essay including a quick summary of Derrida's books which have addressed this theme, guiding the student towards a direct engagement with Derrida's texts. The essays cover language, metaphysics, the subject, politics, ethics, the decision, translation, religion, psychoanalysis, literature, art, and Derrida's seminal relationship to other philosophers, namely Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, Hegel and Nietzsche.

David Allison is a professor of philosophy at Stonybrook, State University of New York, USA Robert Bernasconi is a professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis, USA Claire Colebrook is a senior lecturer in English literature at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland Simon Critchley is a professor of philosophy at the University of Essex, England Simon Glendinning is a senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Reading, England Kevin Hart is a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, USA Fiona Jenkins is a lecturer in philosophy at the Australian National University Christopher Norris is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cardiff, Wales Paul Patton is Professor of Philosophy at the University of New South Wales, Australia David Rathbone is a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Melbourne, Australia Jack Reynolds is a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Tasmania, Australia David Roden is a lecturer in philosophy at the Open University, England Jonathan Roffe is the co-editor of this book, and is the Convenor of the Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy Matthew Sharpe has been a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Auckland, New Zealand Julian Wolfreys is a professor of English at the University of Florida, USA