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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.
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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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t h e h os p i t a l i t y r evi ew 56 oc t ob er 0 0
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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t h e h os p i t a l i t y r evi ew 57 oc t ob er 0 0
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 )
Recommended