Abstract:
Some critics of the French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, have labelled his work as
ahistorical and apolitical. In this article Derrida's views on, among others, textuality,
differance and metaphysics are scrutinized for the implications they may have for
history: the strategic objective of Derrida's statement that there is nothing outside the
text, is to demonstrate that reality can be approached only by an interpretative
experience. The role of the temporal dimension in differance is stressed: the process of
signification cannot be realized without the play of retentions from the past. Derrida
problematizes the logocentric, metaphysical concept of history and suggests a plural,
heterogeneous apprehension of history. Although Derrida's deconstruction does not
include an extensive social theory, hardly any penetrating historical inquiry, whether
literary or historiographical, can ignore Derrida's compelling challenge to history.
Description:
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This article was written by Prof. Andries Visagie before he joined the University of Pretoria