Derrida and the Future of the Liberal Arts Professions of Faith [Paperback]

Derrida and the Future of the Liberal Artshighlights the Derridean assertion that the university must exist 'without condition' - as a bastion of intellectual freedom and oppositional activity whose job it is to question mainstream society. Derrida argued that only if the life of the mind is kept free from excessive corporate influence and political control can we be certain that the basic tenets of democracy are being respected within the very societies that claim to defend democratic principles.

This collection contains eleven essays drawn from international scholars working in both the humanities and social sciences, and makes a well-grounded and comprehensive case for the importance of Derridean thought within the liberal arts today. Written by specialists in the fields of philosophy, literature, history, sociology, geography, political science, animal studies, and gender studies, each essay traces deconstruction's contribution to their discipline, explaining how it helps keep alive the 'unconditional', contrapuntal mission of the university. The book offers a forceful and persuasive corrective to the current assault on the liberal arts.

Mary Caputiis Professor of Political Science at California State University at Long Beach, USA. She is the author ofA Kinder, Gentler America: the Mythical 1950s(2005) andVoluptuous Yearnings: A Feminist Reading of the Obscene(1994).

Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr.is Professor of Geography and Development and Associate Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona, USA. He is author ofSocial Geography: A Critical Introduction(2009) and co-editor ofA Companion to Social Geography(2011) andMapping Tourism(2003).

Matthew Calarco, Assistant Professor (Department of Philosophy, California State University, Fullerton, USA),Mary Caputi, Professor (Department of Political Science, California State l“I