Launch of Derrida and the Writing of the Body

Derrida and the Writing of the Body by Dr Jones Irwin, Lecturer in Philosophy, St Patrick’s College, was launched on Wednesday 9 March by Professor Joe Dunne in front of a lively gathering. The book is published by Ashgate Press.

In launching the book, Professor Dunne spoke about the complex and invigorating nature of Jacques Derrida’s work of ‘deconstruction’, which challenges many of the fundamental assumptions of the Western philosophical tradition. His thinking can also be seen as increasingly relevant for key debates in education, for example in relation to notions of literacy. In chairing the launch, Dr Maeve O’Brien spoke of the significance of the book being launched under the auspices of the Centre for Human Development, which seeks to provide an inter-disciplinary perspective on both humanities and education.       

Dr Irwin paid tribute to the influence of colleagues, students and friends on the gestation of the book. He argued that Derrida’s relevance is more insistent than ever and that its guiding motto might perhaps be taken from one of Seamus Heaney’s poems, Station Island: ‘to write for the joy of it’. For Irwin, Derrida’s writings involve an enigmatic exploration of the human condition, most especially the subtle dynamics of embodied existence.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Friday March 18 2011