Hospitality, Volume I

Jacques Derrida's book Hospitality reproduces a two-year seminar series delivered at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris between 1995 and 1997. It explores the concept of hospitality and questions how we welcome or turn away the foreigner, particularly in relation to kinship and the state. Derrida approaches these questions through readings of classical and modern texts and distinguishes between conventional hospitality and the aspirational idea of hospitality as something offered unconditionally to the stranger.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 28 November 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Jacques Derrida delves into the profound implications of our obligations towards others in his thought-provoking exploration. Hospitality, a captivating two-year seminar series, was presented by Jacques Derrida at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris between 1995 and 1997. Within these lectures, Derrida raises a series of interconnected inquiries concerning responsibility and "the foreigner." He explores the complex dynamics of welcoming or rejecting the stranger, shedding light on the intricate relationships between kinship, the state, and concepts such as friendship, citizenship, migration, asylum, assimilation, and xenophobia. Derrida approaches these questions with a discerning eye, drawing upon a rich tapestry of classical texts and contemporary works by renowned thinkers like Heidegger, Arendt, Camus, and others. At the heart of his project lies a crucial distinction between conventional, finite hospitality, governed by numerous conditions, and the aspirational notion of hospitality as an unconditional offering to the stranger. This volume serves as a compilation of the first year of the seminar, offering a captivating glimpse into Derrida's intellectual journey.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226828015