[lbo-talk] How radical was Derrida? (was 'does anyone read poststructuralism anymore?')

[Asad Haider]

>
> I imagine the US ruling class ( the ruling ideas of any age ar the
> ideas of its ruling classes) noticed long ago that political apathy is
> a good antidote to mass radical political action, and uses its very
> effective methods to inculcate zeal against totalizing theories as one
> way to make masses politically apathetic (?)  It was probably clear
> that Derrida had this apolitical impact ? I mean anti-rationalism is
> anti-theory, no ?

The puzzle is that as far as I can see Derrida did not have an apolitical
impact in France; actually he and his theoretical moment shook up the French
republican/colonial ideology and its epistemological manifestations.

In the US the same texts were (often) used to avoid politics.

Maybe our mainstream ideologies are just more radical than those of France.

I think rationalism is anti-theory, actually. And I don't think the US
ruling class inculcated the masses with Derrida....