Deconstruction and Democracy [Hardcover]

'No democracy without deconstruction': Deconstruction and Democracy evaluates and substantiates Derrida's provocative claim, assessing the importance of this influential and controversial contemporary philosopher's work for political thought. Derrida addressed political questions more and more explicitly in his writing, yet there is still confusion over the politics of deconstruction. Alex Thomson argues for a fresh understanding of Derrida's work, which acknowledges both the political dimension of deconstruction and its potential contribution to our thinking about politics. The book provides cogent analysis and exegesis of Derrida's political writings; explores the implications for political theory and practice of Derrida's work; and brings Derrida's work into dialogue with other major strands of contemporary political thought. Deconstruction and Democracy is the clearest and most detailed engagement available with the politics of deconstruction, and is a major contribution to scholarship on the later works of Jacques Derrida, most notably his Politics of Friendship.

Introduction
Part One: Democracy and Deconstruction1. No Democracy without Deconstruction?2. Deconstruction and Liberal Democracy3. Deconstruction and Radical Democracy
Part Two: Deconstruction as Political Practice 4. Deconstruction and Philosophical Nationalism5. The Politics of Exemplarity: Derrida and Heidegger6. Hospitality and the Cosmopolitical
Part Three: Politics against Ethics7. Economy of Violence: Derrida and Levinas8. Against Community
Part Four: Deconstruction and Depoliticization9. The Spectrality of Politics10. Depoliticization and Repoliticization11. The Politics of Spectrality
12. Deconstruction and Depoliticization
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index