This class focuses on deconstruction as a philosophical movement which aims to challenge totalizing models of thinking in favor of forms of discourse that can accommodate pluralism and alterity. The ‘linguistic turn’—so important for deconstruction—foregrounds the promise and limits of language, and invites inquiry into its epistemic, ethical, political and cultural determinations. We inquire into uses of language as a tool of cultural, epistemic and ontological violence, but also ask about its potential to institute new and just ways of being in the world.
