Acts of Religion / Edition 1

by Jacques Derrida, Gil Anidjar

Overview

Acts of Religion, compiled in close association with Jacques Derrida, brings together for the first time a number of Derrida's writings on religion and questions of faith and their relation to philosophy and political culture. The essays discuss religious texts from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, as well as religious thinkers such as Kant, Levinas, and Gershom Scholem, and comprise pieces spanning Derrida's career. The collection includes two new essays by Derrida that appear here for the first time in any language, as well as a substantial introduction by Gil Anidjar that explores Derrida's return to his own "religious" origins and his attempts to bring to light hidden religious dimensions of the social, cultural, historical, and political.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415924016
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/07/2001
Pages:	444
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jacques Derrida teaches at the École des Hautes Études in Paris, at the University of California, Irvine, New York University, and the New School for Social Research. He is the author of more than 30 books including Acts of Literature and Specters of Marx, both published by Routledge. Gil Anidjar is Assistant Professor in the Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Table of Contents

	Introduction: "Once More, Once More": Derrida, the Arab, the Jew	1
1	Faith and Knowledge: The Two Sources of "Religion" at the Limits of Reason Alone (In French, 1996; in English, 1998)	40
2	Des Tours de Babel (In French, 1980; in English, 1985)	102
3	Interpretations at War: Kant, the Jew, the German (In French, 1989; in English, 1991)	135
4	The Eyes of Language: The Abyss and the Volcano	189
5	Force of Law: The "Mystical Foundation of Authority" (Simultaneously in French and English, 1990; complete French version, 1994; complete English version, 2001)	228
6	Taking a Stand for Algeria (In French, 1995; in English, 1998)	299
7	A Silkworm of One's Own (Points of View Stitched on the Other Veil) (In English, 1996; in French, 1997)	309
8	Hostipitality	356
	Bibliography	421
	Permissions	427
	Index	429

Editorial Reviews

'It is a very significant contribution because it enables the reader to know Derrida's personal views, opinions, values, reflections, and judgments on many topics philosophical, religious, and humanistic...Highly recommended for graduate students and scholars of Derrida.' - R. Puligandla, emeritus, University of Toledo

'This important collection of essays traces the development of Derrida's long-standing interest in religion into a virtual obsession. In ways difficult to calculate Derrida has become one of the most provocative 'religious' thinkers of our time. Gil Anidjar's fine translation and remarkable introduction show not only the philosophical and theological importance but also the social, political and even economic implications of Derrida's reflections on religion.' - Mark C. Taylor, author of The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture and Grave Matters

'The most important publication in the area of deconstruction and theology this year ... indispensible reading for the many scholars working in this area.' - Critical and Cultural Theory

From the Publisher