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OGorman, Kevin D. (2006) Jacques Derridas philosophy of hospitality. Hospitality Review, 8 (4).

pp. 50-57. ISSN 1464-9101

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O'Gorman, Kevin (2006) Jacques Derridas philosophy of hospitality.The Hospitality Review, 8 (4). pp. 50-57.

http://eprints.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/4977/

Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the researchoutput of the University of Strathclyde. Copyright and MoralRights for the papers on this site are retained by the individualauthors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download

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t h e h os p i t a l i t y r evi ew 50 oc t ob er 0 0

T O Pdn Fn nnund d Jqu Dd n 00, -ng n m Fn g d n

mj gu nu u m.Innn, Dd d ndd m mn Fn n- nu; uj m 2nd num md n.3 Dd dd nn dn-un, d-

mnng x ng umn nd ndn.Nm d ng umd, umd nk n n. Dnun m gg ju mu kn gnd n nm n-u ug nd ngug.

Dd g u J nAg n 190, dung nd

f n-Sm Fn -n gm.4 H d n xuddn u m f d dud qu J. Cnnd

n m, dd dung dn gd nd Judn nd . H nu mngd gn n ud n P Nm Suu.5 H

his subsequent experiences as a young student in

Paris were isolated and unhappy, consisting o inter-

mittent depression, nervous anxiety and a see-saw

between sleeping tablets and amphetamines resulted

in exam ailures in the early 1950s.6H n udd Un Lun n

Bgum,7 ug Snn, nd nund Nm Suu -

u. In 198 Dd m undng d Cg

Innn d P, n u u gn un d -. In 19 Dd nn-n un d n ud un k,nd n n u 0 d-n k. Vu d dn m gm, -Knn nndn, nd

ngu 2ng du n ng dn-unm n ,

n n dm dn. A ng n m d mdn n umn, undud n m n. In199 d m n n d Cmdg Un ud u u , m n 0 , un d

heorists o hospitality

Jacques Derridas

philosophy of hospitalityIn the latest of our occasional series on theorists of hospitality,Kevin OGorman explores how the controversial philosopher

Jacques Derrida (19302004) contributes to our understanding ofhospitality. Derridas meditation on the contradictions within thelanguage of hospitality are identified, along with his attempts to

illuminate a variety of contemporary hospitality scenarios.

Chicago

UP

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u m , dg n ngdd mj .3

Derrida and hospitality

Dd ng d n m n d ng dn nd ud, nudng dun,gnd, , u, mm, , -g, nd g.4 x Ddnun , kngu n m n nd -n ng n d dd ng.

Dng n k Ln,5 Dd dn nmng , dnng n nd :

Te law o unlimited hospitality (to give the new

arrival all o ones home and onesel,

to give him or her ones own, our own,

without asking a name, or compen-

sation, or the ullment o even the

smallest condition), and on the other

hand, the laws (in the plural), those

rights and duties that are always

conditioned and conditional, as they

are dened by the Greco-Roman tradition and even

the Judaeo-Christian one, by all o law and all phi-

losophy o law up to Kant and Hegel in particular,across the amily, civil society, and the State.6Dd md dnn n unnd-

n , ndd m, nd n ndn.Dd dnd nng nd mng ng.7 k n dn : n ng md n m; nd nddu un. Hn gnd mg -, ng m Ln , u dd m

-Ind-Eun d mn-ng ng, gu nd . u, n dun d, n n

an essential sel limitation built right into the idea o

hospitality, which preserves the distance between ones

own and the stranger, between owning ones own

property and inviting the other into ones home.2S, Dd d, -

n ng nd , nung d n :2

I I say Welcome, I am not renouncing my mastery,

something that becomes transparent in people whose

hospitality is a way o showing o how much they

own or who make their guests uncomortable and

araid to touch a thing.22T Dd n, nn ng nd nng

m u und :Make yoursel at home, this is a sel-limiting invita-

tion it means: please eel at home, act as i you

were at home, but, remember, that is not true, this

is not your home but mine, and you are expected to

respect my property.23T x u n dung

mn nd .24 mn mun n nd . Ju mn nnn

nd n : u dn-n md n u nd

n u n du. S n-d m u, nd u m :

those in which concern or the guests pleasure and

welare, or its own sake, is predominant. Tese can

include entertaining or pleasure where that pleasure

largely depends on knowing that one is pleasing the

guests, and sense o duty where there is also concern

or the guests themselves. And hospitable people, those

who possess the trait o hospitableness, are those who

ofen entertain rom one or more o these motives, or

rom mixed motives in which one o these motives ispredominant.25P uu u n

u d n d :Te ideal o hospitality, like all ideals, presents itsel

as joyul rather than onerous, and provides the

inspiration or the pursuit o the virtue or virtues o

hospitableness.26

Variousphilosophershavetriedtoattachdierent

labelstohimshowingthedifcultyinlocating

deconstructionismwithinphilosophy,letalonean

academicdiscipline

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Conditional hospitality nmnn n nn n gn n n qu, a priori, n ud- gu. In ng mgn xm n ndn , n unndn ud n md. I n mu n d: nm d. Dd gud ndn n n ud gn m a priori , mng n gn gu -u unknn nnmu u n d nd:

Absolute hospitality requires that I open up my home

and that I give not only to the oreigner (provided

with a amily name, with the social status o being a

oreigner, etc.), but to the absolute, unknown, anony-

mous other, and that I give place to them, that I let

them come, that I let them arrive, and take placein the place I oer them, without asking o them

either reciprocity (entering into a pact) or even their

names. Te law o absolute hospitality commands a

break with hospitality by right, with law or justice

as rights.27Dd dngud n gu nd

:In principle, the dierence is straightorward, but or

that you need a law; hospitality, reception, the wel-

come oered have to be submitted to a basic and lim-

iting jurisdiction. Not all new arrivals are received asguests i they dont have the benet o the right to hos-

pitality or the right o asylum, etc. Without this right,

a new arrival can only be introduced in my home,

in the hosts at home, as a parasite, a guest who is

wrong, illegitimate, clandestine, liable to expulsion or

arrest.2 n u dd

xd n

n nkng Ln. Ln nddHdgg mn n ngug u Bng; ng ung Bng, ng Ln nd Dd k u m - . 2 Dd k mn ngug n xm n nd n gu . n dngu- n mn nd dn, mnngu nd , , xnd - n n m nd n gn.

In B ug nd um k fn d un nn -. n mnn Rdnd :

the guest is always the guest, i the host is always the

host, something has probably gone wrong: hospitality

has somehow been replaced by parasit-

ism or charity.3I d g

guests who are orced into the systemat-

ic position o the guest are ofen accused

o parasitism, the host reusing to take

responsibility or the historical position

that deprives others o the pleasure and

pride o taking their place.3Dd ndd Ln u -

qu gu

; mu n u gn n n u mnn.32 Au - d n mk dmnd gu ud m mng n -gn. ngug ud Dd ud d m mkng gu nm n u nm d ng. Dd n n qun nu d nu nn g nd g mmgn.

We know that there are numerous what we call dis-

placed persons who are applying or the right to asy-

lum without being citizens, without being identiedas citizens. It is not or speculative or ethical reasons

that I am interested in unconditional hospitality, but

in order to understand and to transorm what is

going on today in our world.33A mdn ngm x un

n mgn d d gu, u n nn n gd-ng mmgn. Cun dm n num

Makeyourselathome,thisisasel-limiting

invitationitmeans:pleaseeelathomebut,

remember,thatisnottrue,thisisnotyourhomebut

mine,andyouareexpectedtorespectmyproperty

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mmgnndn.34 Dd nd kndg n un n d d unndn mmgn.35P m nd m -, u n d n mg m, k d nng, u n-dn m. Dd gud m n du un: ndn k n n d m d

n. dmn un, n num

mmgn n gn , u u m n u , mnng nn d n ud n, nd dud n. Dd ddn nd m- mnng. dmn dmn qu nn d ndng ud g, judgng ud n. Ddd mn md m Fn mn- mmgn M Rd n 199d, mmgn qu, Fn ud n m d n d ud.36 Pdx, n mmnn Rd d n unndn -, nd u nu

ud x. Dd gud n -u n unndn n gmd, mmn, ju ud ndn :

Unconditional hospitality implies that you dont ask

the other, the newcomer, the guest to give anything

back, or even to identiy himsel or hersel. Even i

the other deprives you o your mastery or your home,

you have to accept this. It is terrible to accept this,

but that is the condition o unconditional hospital-

ity: that you give up the mastery o your space, your

home, your nation. It is unbearable. I, however,there is pure hospitality, it should be pushed to this

extreme.37

Derrida, hospitality and religion

Wn ndng , Dd -n d , nm, gu; ngng umn n-

, n nd n n : ng, gn, mmgn ndndgu.

For pure hospitality or a pure gif to occur, however,

there must be an absolute surprise. Te other, like the

Messiah, must arrive whenever he or she wants. She

[] may even not arrive. I would oppose, thereore,the traditional and religious concept o visitation to

invitation: visitation implies the arrival o someone

who is not expected, who can show up at any time.

I I am unconditionally hospitable I should welcome

the visitation, not the invited guest, but the visitor. I

must be unprepared, or prepared to be unprepared,

or the unexpected arrival o any other. Is this pos-

sible? I dont know. I, however, there is pure hospital-

ity, or a pure gif, it should consist in this opening

without horizon, without horizon o expectation, an

opening to the newcomer whoever that may be. It

may be terrible because the newcomer may be a good

person, or may be the devil.3 qu dmn Dd dnn nmn nd mnm, n d-ng m nd d nn -

n.3 A mnm ndd Dd knd dgmm, ujng dn m-gu dmnn;4 ng um gu, M, nm ng nn m gu. Wn mgnng mng M u n knd gn nd nm dn nd um u mgn u. F Dd undn-u, gn, k , dnu;, :

something that is presupposed by the most radicaldeconstructive gesture. You cannot address the other,

speak to the other, without an act o aith, without

testimony.4T k n k m u u:

As soon as you address the other, as soon as you are

open to the uture, as soon as you have a temporal

experience o waiting or the uture, o waiting or

someone to come; that is the opening o experience.

conditionalhospitalitytakesplaceonlyinthe

shadowotheimpossibilityotheidealversion

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Someone is to come, is now to come.42 n mn m, dng

Dd, u un, nd un uu n undnu. Inn, Dd uggd nkng mn :

the unexpected surprise... I I could anticipate, i I had

a horizon o anticipation, i I could see what is com-

ing or who is coming, there would be no coming.43Dd mn n md gu nx, u xndd dn n m gn. H mmn u nd, mn uu dn, n, d; u gnzng m, ng dn, nd m ud m.

Dealing with the impossibility

of unconditional hospitalityF Dd n m -d un m; m n xn n n. I n mn ud n -nd dn-. Im n nn d; , dnd m-

, nd n mn n ng n n n.

Wn un d, dm dmn, n gu mmgn, ndn - u n n m; u d g gn, nd mg gn n u ndn -

. Wn, nnn, nn- n n m n dn , m dn m, nd m n dn knd n n qun.

Im md nd nu m-x dn, n nd -. Tnmn ug nnd ngn m. W

ng n gnmn mn n- m nd n ndn mu nmmgn, Dd nd n nn-nn n nun gn nd m u; xm,

when those hosts who are apparently, and present

themselves as being, the most generous, constitute

themselves as the most limited.44Pdn Mnd Fn ud xn

d n n dun n mm-gn , ndd n nd Fn ud gn n mmgn n Fn.45 Fn ng dm n num mmgn. En n nn gn n mng gn u nkng m; nd d.

M R, n , ddm u Dd, n xmn-ng Fn dn terre dasile (nd nu) ug. S mg mng Fn n nd Fn F Eu ( nd k d unm mm-gn).46 R xmn Fn gn-

mn nd g mm-gn ugu 1990.47 Fn dnd

n m mk znn dn u gu. Dn -n n gu nd n

nddu, nn nd gund n:

Te very precondition o hospitality may require that,

in some ways, both the host and the guest accept, in

dierent ways, the uncomortable and sometimes

painul possibility o being changed by the other.4Wn Wn Eu ug n ng -

d nud gu dng ndn: n g ; -d m nd mu ud u.

Mn Dd d n -ng T Bn Jun, n -n -, Mn mmgd Fn n 191.Dng un n nun m, u m ud dn gu nm Fn. Bn

hospitalitymayrequirethatbothhostandguest

accepttheuncomortableandsometimespainulpossibilityobeingchangedbytheother

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Jun undmn- mk n, ng m m nd und un, ng g n nd n nud n m mmm.4 On m-ng Fn, Bn Jun n, d n Fn d gnd m m n. Fn d njdn d ngmn u n d d m gu Fn; m n -md gu. H ndn; g n g . Fm n ndnd u n un,nd n Fn n ng und m:

in France he dreams o the country he lef behind. In

his own country, he dreams o France he thumps

back and orth a bag ull o small possessions and o

grand illusion.5D ng d u 0

n Fn u m:

yet sometimes I eel I am a stranger

here. Tat happens whenever rac-

ism occurs, whether it is virulent or

latent, and whenever someone lays down limits that

mustnt be transgressed.5F un -n , -

mud n. W mmnd g un-n nd uj ux nd nn.R mg mng Fn n nd Fn FEu. F R, mk nmnn n ngn n dnn dn nd du gu nd .52 Anngn nn du nd un , - n nddu nd dn

, n gu kgund n n mn; Bn Jun gu m ud kdn dnd und.

Potential for bias

Dnnmn nd u m u. I m

xm, n ng Bn Jun, n m-kn nd gn dnn un-. Dd n mmgn Fn nd kgund ud d ng nunn nkng nd ng. d n Dd Bn Jun n undng gnd ndn; , n m m x du n d m du.

In ngng G-Rmn d Dd dng nu-n nd ng mdn g. Wn und-kng k, mu kn d zd g : ndn u nn dumn ngd mdn m.53 T, ug mn dm , nd Dd, R nd BnJun ngn nd n nddu, g

xn m x nud m. md ndngn mn gu

, nd n gnn gn n x n dm n-x: dm, mm, n dn .54 k nxundn n undn .

Reflection

F Dd gn n mk, n nddu nd un-

. Ed nggmn ug du; mm dud n xm jd. In , fn d k n n . gu un m; mu nm n. F Dd,ng n nd ng n mn n xn ng d .55 En n

thetruegitohospitalityisanactogenerosity

experiencedbytheguest,whichturnsastranger

intoariendoralimitedperiodotime

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nnn n m nd dd mx n.

We do not know what hospitality is.

Not yet.

Not yet, but will we ever know?56Fm Dd ng m u

m n ngm. n du n - nundum, u u - n m j kndg. Hx n d xn; gf gn gu, nd n d n m.H nn d n g n -dm jun; u gf n gn xnd gu, un ng n nd md d m.

Fm u g nd u, Dd undud n -; dm u nd undng u n . H k dnd dnun n kn-dg nd u, nd kd ng ng n d , ju k Sn CmdgUn, fn ddd ng, n-dng m n n nd ud,

d nd nu n nd g,mmnu nd .57

ForurtherreadingonDerridaIwouldrecommendJDerridaOf Hospitality, Anne Dufourmantelle invites Jacques Derrida to

respond(StanordUniversityPress,Stanord2000)

Reerences Jqu Dd u n Te Economist O

Fm : Derrida (); Dailleurs, Derrida () n

Eng Derridas Elsewhere; Ghost Dance () P Du How to Read Derrida (Lndn, Gn Bk

) x G Bmngn & J Dd Jacques Derrida (Cg,

Un Cg P ) nn m u-g m m Dd n d

Cumn n n xn ng d-ud Dd, nudng m g.

A Fn nun n nng dmnd ; d g n Fn un u.

Du op. cit. x W n Lun qun n MA -

n Hu: J Dd Te Problem o Genesis in HusserlsPhilosophy(Cg, Un Cg P )

B Sk Derrida on Deconstruction (Lndn, Rudg)

Tnd n Eng : J Dd Speech and Phenomenaand Other Essays on Husserls Teory o Signs (Enn,Nn Un P ); J Dd OGrammatology (Bm, Jn Hkn Un P); J Dd Writing and Dierence (Lndn, Rudg)

R R Consequences o Pragmatism (Un Mnn P, Pnn ) R G Te ain in the Mirror (Cmdg MA, Hd

Un P ) C N Derrida (Lndn, Fnn ); G Bnnngn

M gmn, Dd n Egn n Derrida:A Critical Reader D Wd (d) (Mu, Bk)

Te Economistop. cit. Du op. cit. x E Ln otality and Innity (Pug, Duqun

Un P ) J Dd O Hospitality, Anne Duourmantelle invites Jacques

Derrida to respond(Snd, Snd Un P ) J Dd H Angelaki: Journal o the Teoretical

Humanities5 () Dd ng mg Em Bnn. E

Bnn Le Vocabulaire des Institutions Indo-europennes(P, dn d Mnu )

K OGmn Mdn H: Ln m Journal o Hospitality and ourism Management12 ()

J D Cu Deconstruction In A Nutshell: A conversation withJacques Derrida (N Yk, Fdm Un P )

J Dd H op. cit. Cu op. cit. ibid. E T n n C L

nd A Mn (d) In Search o Hospitality TeoreticalPerspectives and Debates (Oxd, Bu Hnmnn)

E T Food or Tought, Philosophy o Food, (Lndn,Rudg )

ibid. Dd O Hospitality ibid. M Hdgg n Humnm () n

Pathmarks: exts in German Philosophy W MN (d)(Cmdg, Cmdg Un P )

M R Postcolonial Hospitality: Te Immigrant as Guest(Snd, Snd Un P )

ibid. J Dd Adieu to Emmanuel Lvinas (Snd, Snd

Un P ) J Dd H, Ju nd Rn: A Dgu

Jqu Dd n R Kn nd M D (d)Questioning Ethics: Contemporary Debates in Philosophy(Lndn Rudg )

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S Wn L Run n n DFn, A M, nd C Qunn (d) Les lois de linhos-

pitalit: Les politiques de limmigration lpreuve des sans-papiers (P L Du )

J Dd Rn n M S (d)Manieste pour lhospitalit(P, P Au )

Dd ibid. Dd H, Ju nd Rn

ibid. Mn uu mn ndd un- uu m, xn uu, mng, nd xn mng d ju. J Dd O Grammatology:Corrected edition (Bm, Jn Hkn P ) .

Indd, Dd n n -u , u u n . (ibid ) Mnm dnn n m nd mn u-u; mnm M d n m,dn, nd .

J Dd Specters o Marx: Te State o the Debt, the Work o

Mourning, and the New International(N Yk, Rudg) J Dd Vn Rund: A Cnn

Jqu Dd n J D Cu op. cit. ibid. J Dd Deconstruction Engaged: Te Sydney Seminars P

Pn nd T Sm (d) (Sdn, P Pun )

ibid. Pdn Mnd gud un seuil

de tolrance mmgn nd nn

xn nd m k n. m n d ud n Fn d n mmgn n Sng d n m g n n ud d , n n, mmgn n ng d un ( ). DSng Jn-M L Pn Ethnic andRacial Studies14 ()

M R Rnng g mmgn n Fn: m

ndn d n- d Sn-BndJournal o European Studies28 M R Inng Immgn L: Cm

H Cm gn H Diaspora8 ()

M R Postcolonial Hospitality: Te Immigrant as Guest(Snd, Snd Un P )

T Bn Jun () French Hospitality: Racism and NorthArican Immigrants, Cum Un P, N Yk.

ibid. ibid. R op cit. M I Fn Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology

(Hmnd, Pngun Bk ) K D OGmn Dmnn : xng nnnd gn n C L, P Ln nd A Mn(d) Advances in ourism Research, Hospitality: A SocialLens (Oxd, E )

Jn Pu II Crossing the Treshold o Hope (Lndn, AdA Kn )

J Dd H R Wk Dng L Sud n D P nd N

C (d) Teorys Empire: An Anthology o Dissent (NYk, Cum Un P )

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