Derrida, Politics and Democracy to Come

Derrida’s early reluctance to spell out political implications of deconstruction gave
way during the course of the 1980s to a series of analyses of political concepts
and issues. This article identifies the principal intellectual strategies of Derrida’s
political engagements and provides a detailed account of his concept of ‘democracy to come’. Finally, it suggests several points of contact between Derrida and
recent liberal political philosophy, as well as some areas in which deconstructive
analyses require further refinement if fruitful exchange is to occur.