Introduction

The mutual influence between Derrida and Levinas is well known. Derrida devoted numerous texts to Levinas and, although the references to Derrida in Levinas are scarcer, we are far from ignoring the profound influence of “Violence and Metaphysics” in the transition from Totality and Infinity to Otherwise than Being. From this mutual influence, we propose a publication of renowned international academics who, working within this filiation and through the Derrida-Levinas dialogue, seek to develop the philosophical and political sources and breakthroughs which could allow us to think our “living-together” today and, perhaps, transform it for tomorrow. This publication addresses the delicate question of the “political” as it is elaborated in both Derrida’s and Levinas’ philosophical writings, that is through the continuous dialogue between these two philosophical corpuses. Why the “political”? After all, so many other themes seem to bring together these two philosophies. Firstly, we have chosen to focus on the “political” between Derrida and Levinas, as it marks, at once a profound alliance between both authors as well as an undoubtable discordance. Naturally, we shall easily recognize in both authors a certain suspicion towards the philosophical justifications of national identity and sovereignty, of community and recognition, as well as a profound misgiving towards the ideology carried forth in the affirmation of nationalistic lexicons. And yet, in both authors, we also see a profound admiration for a certain democratic ideal, in its European heritage and in the hyper-democratic futures it could carry. Indeed, in both Derrida and Levinas lies an unconditional exigency to think towards a hyperbolical responsibility in the name of the Other, of the foreigner, the weak and the orphan and thus, an urgent necessity of responding ethically to the call of what we could label today “illegal immigrants” and/or “refugees”. Hence, this publication, focusing on the relation between Derrida and Levinas and the unresolved tension between these two philosophical corpuses, will show that which can yet come to democracy and consequently offer possible interpretations of that which can occur and happen politically to us. We shall question which philosophical and political ideal is in reserve at the heart of a double reading of both Derrida and Levinas. Perhaps this double reading can offer novel modalities of thinking the multiple crises which inhabit our European, North-American, as well as Middle-Eastern and global contemporaneity? Are we right in thinking that there still remains, within this philosophical alliance, the possibilities to rethink and re-engage the “political” in Europe and in the world?