Derrida's Institutions: The Political Philosophy of Jacques Derrida

This thesis examines the role of institutions in Jacques Derrida’s philosophy. It argues that there is an intimate connection between Derrida’s political engagements and his philosophy which has hitherto been neglected. Drawing on a range of unexamined television, print and radio contributions by Derrida, as well as archival research into his unpublished seminars, the thesis places these in dialogue with canonical texts and critical interpretations, thus contributing to a more precise understanding of his philosophy in the light of his substantial political involvement. The text opens with a consideration of iteration, determination and effacement in Derrida’s work. I argue that these are the major terms for understanding Derrida’s political philosophy. This is sustained throughout the thesis, through a consideration of exappropriation and the terms promesse and mémoire. Within this framework, and in a broadly chronological way, Derrida’s institutional and political engagements are analysed. I coin the term exappropriating institutions to describe a shared structure and coherent strategy across these interventions. This includes work on educational reform in the GREPH and the Collège international de philosophie; support for undocumented migrants, including his neglected collaboration with Pierre Bourdieu to support persecuted intellectuals; his view of media institutions, télétechnologies and the need to reform public space; his position on Europe and particularly his support for a European army; and, finally, his focus on international law and its institutions alongside the need to reform the United Nations and his support for altermondialisme. Throughout the thesis, I argue that the double movement of Derrida’s philosophy, the critique/plus-que-critique, is present within his political engagements and that this connects it closely to his philosophy. Through this we come to see the importance of critique for Derrida, but also that the movement beyond this is also closely tied to determination. Ultimately, I argue that exappropriating institutions is a normative structure in Derrida’s philosophy and represents a model for politics. Overall, this work demonstrates the important intersection between philosophy and the political that marked much of Derrida’s career, and I argue on this basis that these interventions and engagements should be understood as part of a consistent and coherent Derridean political philosophy

Critical Institutions: Alternative Modes of Institutionalisation in Derrida's Engagements

In this article, I consider the role of institutions in Jacques Derrida’s political engagement. In spite of Derrida’s significant involvement with political causes throughout his life, his engagements have received little sustained attention, and this is particularly true of his work with institutions. I turn to two such cases, the Collège international de philosophie and the Parlement international des écrivains and argue that these represent an alternative mode of institutionalisation. These institutions seek to destabilise other institutions as well as themselves.Looking closely at the institutions that Derrida founded, we see three common characteristics emerge. These institutions are anti-hegemonic,self-reflexive and international. I then connect these to Derrida’s thought, offering a reading of the undecidable, which brings forth the importance of conventions in the decision. Finally, I demonstrate that the three shared characteristics of Derrida’s institutions form part of an effort to open up space for the possibility of alterity. Through this, and beyond a distinction between theory/practice, we come to see Derrida’s institutional engagements as an active form of critique, both of other institutions and themselves

Is There a Politics to Friendship? Derrida’s Critique of the Couple in Montaigne, Kant and Levinas

In this paper, I consider the figure of the couple of friends in Jacques Derrida’s Politics of Friendship (1997/1994). I propose that Derrida’s critique of fraternity as a model of friendship and political community is also intimately tied to a conception of friendship as between two (male) people. Derrida brings forward the prominence of this figure in Michel de Montaigne and Immanuel Kant. In both, Derrida shows how this presentation of the couple is motivated by a double and contradictory desire: on the one hand, a wish to represent the couple as an apolitical or pre-political moment of friendship, and on the other, a view that it should serve as a ground for and guide to politics. Derrida conceives of this problem via a Levinasian framework of the face-to-face and third-party. Looking closely at the way Derrida deploys this framework, I propose that Derrida sees something of this problem in Levinas’s own conception of the face-to-face, whereby the relation to the other still holds some possibility of a pre-political relation (before the arrival of the third-party). This can help illuminate Derrida’s response to Levinas’s later work, as well as show once again the importance of the couple. I propose across all three philosophers, therefore, we see an appeal to some form of apolitical moment between two and suggest that this is a constant target in Derrida’s work. Indeed, through this, we come to see that Derrida’s view every relation to the other, and every potential moment of friendship and community, as fundamentally and inescapably political

Teaching in English for Non-Native Students: Cultural Dimensions

“Teaching in English for Non-Native Students / Docencia en inglés para estudiantes no nativos (TENS)” fue un proyecto de innovación docente internacional, virtual e interdisciplinario que investigó (1) los problemas culturales que pueden dificultar la enseñanza de clases en inglés a los estudiantes no nativos, y (2) estrategias para superarlos. Motivado en parte por el objetivo de la Unión Europea (UE) de armonizar sus distintos sistemas académicos, TENS creó y dinamizó un espacio de interacción para miembros de la Facultad de Filosofía de la UCM –PDI, PAS y estudiantes– con miembros PDI de universidades situadas en otros países europeos (Inglaterra, Irlanda y Portugal). Las actividades, algunas de las cuales fueron virtuales, se compusieron de (1) reuniones privadas entre el equipo de trabajo del proyecto para discutir, libre y abiertamente, los métodos que se usan para enseñar filosofía en inglés a estudiantes no nativos; y (2) la organización de un congreso internacional, con sede en la Facultad de Filosofía de la UCM, sobre el tema. Este intercambio dio a los miembros de la Facultad de Filosofía la oportunidad de aprender los métodos que se usan en el extranjero y, a través de las actividades del proyecto, se introdujo a los estudiantes de la Facultad de Filosofía en los métodos que se usan en otros países y sistemas académicos. TENS tuvo los siguientes objetivos: (1) Proporcionar un espacio en el que los miembros del equipo del proyecto puedan interactuar con profesores de otros países y sistemas académicos para estudiar, aprender e incorporar otras maneras de diseñar e impartir cursos en inglés a distintas culturas y/o estudiantes no nativos. (2) Estimular una discusión intercultural acerca de las distintas maneras de diseñar cursos de filosofía en inglés a estudiantes no nativos. (3) Facilitar la creación de una red internacional de PDI que imparten cursos en inglés a estudiantes no nativos. (4) Presentar a los estudiantes de los Grados de la Facultad de Filosofía de la UCM los métodos de docencia en filosofía que se usan en el extranjero.Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaFALSEsubmitte

Exploring different assessment structures for students with english as a second language (edass)

“Exploring Different Assessment Structures for Students with English as a Second Language (EDASS)” es un proyecto internacional de innovación docente que investiga, en el contexto de la docencia en inglés, los problemas que pueden impedir la correcta evaluación de los estudiantes no nativos y las estrategias para superarlos. Motivado en parte por el objetivo de la Unión Europea (UE) de armonizar sus distintos sistemas académicos, EDASS creó y dinamizó un espacio de interacción para miembros de la Facultad de Filosofía de la UCM –PDI, PAS y estudiantes– con miembros PDI de universidades situadas en otros países europeos (Inglaterra, Irlanda y Portugal). Las actividades, algunas de las cuales fueron virtuales, consistieron en (1) reuniones privadas del equipo de trabajo del proyecto para discutir, libre y abiertamente, los métodos de evaluación y códigos de buenas prácticas internacionales que se usan para enseñar filosofía en inglés a estudiantes no nativos; y (2) diseñar e implementar distintas formas de evaluación en las clases de inglés en la Facultad de Filosofía de la UCM y valorar su eficacia. Este intercambio ofreció a los miembros de la Facultad de Filosofía la oportunidad de aprender los métodos que se usan en el extranjero y, a través de las actividades del proyecto, introdujo a los estudiantes de la Facultad de Filosofía en los métodos que se usan en otros países y sistemas académicos.Universidad Complutense de MadridDepto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaFALSEsubmitte