Jacques Derrida is one of the last century’s most prolific and important philosophers. Thanks to his ‚theory’ of deconstruction, Derrida has infuenced a number of fields in a most profound way, from philosophy, literary and gender studies, to political theory, religion and theology. However, his eclectic style and characteristically difficult writing have lead to the mischaracterization that he is nothing more than a charlatan and a postmodern nihilist, who has no concern for truth. This has often been the case with theologians who read Derrida. In this seminar, however, we will question this reading by pursuing the claim that not only is Derrida not a nihilist, but that he also may, indeed, have a certain kind of faith—even if he does ‚quite rightly pass for an atheist,’ as he once famously wrote. To understand ‚Derrida’s religion,’ then, the seminar will consist of a close reading of some of Derrida’s most important texts that are suggestive of this religious sensibility.
- Kursleiter/in: Calvin Dieter Ullrich