Reviewed work(s): Source: Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, New Series, Vol. 24, No. 3 (1999), pp. 277-293 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/623128 . Accessed: 23/01/2012 07:39 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Blackwell Publishing and The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. http://www.jstor.org Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a Clive Ba rnett Deconstruction ha s become a theme in va rious stra nd s of geogra phica l resea rch. It ha s not, however, been the subject of much ex plicit commenta ry. This pa per ela bora tes on some ba sic themes concerning the rela tionship between d econstruction a nd conceptua liza tions of contex t, with pa rticula r reference to issues of tex tua l interpreta tion. The d ouble d ispla cement of tex tua lity cha ra cteristic of d econstruction is d iscussed , followed by a consid era tion of the themes of 'writing' a nd 'itera bility' a s d istinctive figures for a n a lterna tive spa tia liza tion of concepts of contex t. It is a rgued tha t d econstruction informs a questioning of the norma tive a ssumptions und erwriting the va lue a nd empirica l id entity of contex t. key word s Derrid a d econstruction contex t interpreta tion spa cing tex tua lity Depa rtment of Geogra phy, University of Rea d ing, Whiteknights, PO Box 227, Rea d ing RG6 2AB ema il: c.ba mett@rea d ing.a c.uk revised ma nuscript received 1 Ma rch 1999 Thinking thrusting a ga inst the limits of la ngua ge? La ngua ge is not a ca ge. (Wa isma nn 1965, 15) If word s a nd concepts receive mea ning only in sequences of d ifferences, one ca n justify one's la ngua ge, a nd one's choice of terms, only within a topic [a n orienta tion in spa ce] a nd a n historica l stra tegy. The justifica tion ca n therefore never be a bsolute a nd d efinitive. It correspond s to a cond ition of forces a nd tra nsla tes a n historica l ca lcula tion. (Derrid a 1976, 70) Stitching up Derrid a Deconstruction, a nd the work of Ja cques Derrid a in pa rticula r, ha s ta ken up a pla ce in geogra phy's pa noply of theoretica l reference points through a d iverse set of d eba tes a nd d iscussions a round postmod ernism, post-structura lism, post- colonia lism, the cultura l turn, feminism, id entity politics, the crisis of representa tion a nd so on. And yet it continues to be trea ted a s a peculia rly esoteric d iscourse, by d etra ctors a nd d efend ers a like. This pa per ela bora tes on some ba sic themes concerning the rela tionship between d econstruction a nd con- ceptua liza tions of contex t, with pa rticula r reference to issues of tex tua l interpreta tion. The mod est a im is to rend er a representa tion of d econstruction a s a n a ccessible, open a nd usea ble supplement to ex isting geogra phica l method ologies. The pa per sta rts with a d iscussion of the d eployment of d econstruction in geogra phy, a nd proceed s to a critique of the conceptua liza tion of contex t a s a principle of ex pla na tion a nd interpreta tion. It then provid es a n a ccount of the d econstructive d ispla ce- ment of usua l und ersta nd ings of tex tua lity, a nd a n a ccount of the themes of writing, itera bility a nd spa cing in d econstruction. It conclud es with a reconsid era tion of the norma tive va lue a ccord ed to 'contex t'. The a ppea ra nce of d econstruction in geogra phy ta kes a va riety of forms. For some, reference to d econstruction serves a s a limit ca se tha t secures the continued id entity of critica l socia l science, esta blished politica l positions a nd respecta ble forms of mora l jud gement. Deconstruction is found not to conform to ex isting rules of how theory should a d d ress 'politics', 'rea lity' or 'history', a nd a s a result is corrected , d ismissed or simply pilloried . So, one ca n find d econstruction pre- sented a s merely a mod e of d emystifica tion tha t d isa llows a ny critica l or ethica l jud gements (Livingstone 1998); a s a n ex a mple of a postmod ern d iscursive id ea lism tha t ha s nihilistic tend encies a t best, a nd elitist-conserva tive ones a t worst (Peet Tra ns Inst Br Geogr NS 24 277-293 1999 ISSN 0020-2754 ? Roya l Geogra phica l Society (with The Institute of British Geogra phers) 1999 278 1998); or a s a n inconsistent, even nonsensica l mod er-d a y sophism tha t proposes tha t we a re locked in the prison of la ngua ge, a nd tha t rea son is impossible (Sa ck 1997). Alterna tively, while d econ- struction might be a d mitted to ha ve some poten- tia lly interesting insights, it seems necessa ry to gua rd a ga inst a n ex cess of nega tive energy imputed to it, for fea r of und ercutting the cond i- tions of a ction, d ecision a nd jud gement (Bond i a nd Domosh 1992; McDowell 1991). Deconstruction a lso inha bits other field s of geo- gra phica l resea rch in a more positive fa shion. It is a sha d owy presence in d iscussions of post- colonia lism, ra d ica l d emocra cy a nd critica l geo- politics, for ex a mple. Geogra phers ha ve a d d ressed the releva nce of Homi Bha bha 's notions of 'third - spa ce', the 'in-between' a nd 'hybrid ity' (Bha bha 1994; Pile 1994; Rose 1995a ; Soja 1996), a nd of issues of a nti-essentia lism, positiona lity a nd sub- a lterity tha t d ra w upon the work of Ga ya tri Spiva k (Spiva k 1990; see a lso Gregory 1994; Ra d cliffe 1994; Routled ge 1996): both Bha bha a nd Spiva k work over d istinctively d econstructive intellectua l terra in. There ha s been convergence with work tha t d eploys d econstructive insights to question conceptua l bound a ries in politica l theory a nd interna tiona l rela tions theory, in ord er to rethink conceptua liza tions of sovereignty a nd territoria lity (Agnew a nd Corbrid ge 1995, 78-100; Connolly 1995), a s well a s a reconfigura tion of geopolitics a s a d istinctive form of writing (O Tua tha il 1994; 1996). Deconstruction ha s informed innova tive retheoriza tions of economic va lue a nd the na ture of ca pita lism (Ca stree 1996; Gibson- Gra ha m 1996). And the geogra phica l d imensions of a nti-essentia list und ersta nd ings of ra d ica l d emocra cy bea ring tra ces of d econstruction ha ve a lso been a subject of d iscussion (Ma ssey 1995; Mouffe 1995; Na tter 1995). In a ll of these field s, geogra phica l resea rch is being rethought in d irec- tions tha t, a t one remove, testify to a d econstruc- tive sensibility. Yet the ex plicit consid era tion of d econstruction continues to be left in a beya nce; its a pplica tion rema ins limited to those 'in the know'. Deconstruction is a lso ea gerly cha mpioned in the na me of the d elirious d isruption of a ll epistemologica l certa inties (Ba rnes 1994; Strohma yer a nd Ha nna h 1992). This pa rticula r und ersta nd ing d epend s upon sta ging a d ra ma tic d epa rture from method ologica l a pproa ches tha t were previously consumed by the ruses of Clive Ba rnett scientific ra tiona lity a nd na ively mimetic concep- tions of la ngua ge (Dix on a nd Jones 1998). These sorts of a rguments tend to enclose d econstruction within the pla ne of mea ning, conforming to the broa d er hermeneutic recupera tion of post- structura lism in geogra phy. Post-structura lism ha s come to be the na me a scribed to a lmost a ny genera l sense of reflex ivity towa rd s 'la ngua ge', 'd iscourse' or 'representa tion'. This, in turn, sus- ta ins a ca sua l reference to 'd econstruction' a s a shortha nd for a d emystifica tory form of id eology- critique which revea ls the essentia l constructed - ness of ca tegories, concepts a nd id entities (Ha rley 1992). A rela ted presenta tion of d econstruction in geogra phy refers to it a s a n a uthorita tive reference point for a set of substa ntive theoretica l proposi- tions. Deconstruction is a llud ed to a s ha ving con- clusively d emonstra ted the necessa ry insta bility of mea ning a nd the necessa ry fluid ity of id entities, a s well a s the necessa ry incoherence of corres- pond ence theories of truth. This sta ging bolsters a rguments in fa vour of a nti-essentia lism, ra d ica l epistemologica l a nti-found a tiona lism a nd plura l.ist socia l theories of d ifference. When confronted with such a ccounts of d econ- struction, one might legitima tely a sk from whence the imputed d emonstra tive force of d econstruction is mea nt to d erive? The tra nsla tion of d econstruc- tion into a set of epistemologica l a nd ontologica l propositions ra ises the question of whether the 'conceptua l' significa nce of d econstructive pra ctice ha s been effectively communica ted in these sorts of gra nd sta tements of d econstructive lore. In so fa r a s d econstruction implies a ny truth cla ims wha tso- ever, a consid era tion of these must a cknowled ge the ex tent to which they a re d epend ent upon wha t one might ca ll a d istinctive epistemology of ex empla rity: 'There is no work of theory without ex a mples. The ex a mples a re essentia l to the theory. The theory ca nnot be fully und erstood without the ex a mples' (Miller 1995, 323). Deconstructive con- cepts a re a ll d ra wn from pa rticula r tex ts, a nd they function a s ex a mples of genera l rules of which they a re the only a va ila ble cha ra cteriza tions. Derrid a 's work, for ex a mple, consists of pa infully d eta iled , somewha t id iosyncra tic rea d ings of other tex ts. Deconstruction is rigorously pa ra sitic on the cor- pus of other tex ts, id ioms a nd tra d itions. It d oes not involve a n a bstra ct a na lysis of conceptua l oppositions, but only ever works over conceptua l systems in pa rticula r contex ts. This ha s conse- quences for the sorts of genera liza tions one ca n Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a ma ke a bout d econstruction. In a sense, d econstruc- tive pra ctice gua rd s a ga inst a n immed ia te a pplica - tion a s a genera l theory of mea ning, reference or truth. The ex empla ry, pa ra sitic a nd performa tive cha ra cter of d econstructive pra ctice suggests tha t d econstruction might fruitfully be a pproa ched not in terms of the bina ry oppositions tha t ha ve been so cha ra cteristic of geogra phy's encounters thus fa r (representa tion a nd rea lity, d ifference a nd id entity, essentia lism a nd constructionism, found a tiona lism a nd rela tivism), but ra ther a s ela bora ting a d iffer- ent ord er of 'qua si'-tra nscend enta l questioning (see Bennington a nd Derrid a 1992, 267-84; Ga sche 1986; 1994). The fa voured terms of d econstruction (such a s writing, tra ce, supplement) a re ea ch d erived from the singula r contex t of the pa rticu- la r tex t where they a re found . They a re a lso reinscribed towa rd s a meta theoretica l level of sig- nifica nce to which they never quite a tta in. This reinscription la ys ba re the constitutive rela tionship between the cond itions tha t ma ke possible a given phenomena in the a ppa rent fullness of its id entity or mea ning, a nd how these sa me cond itions a lso ma rk the impossibility of such phenomena ever being rea lized in their id ea l purity. Deconstruction therefore involves a n ex posure of cond itions of possibility a nd impossibility. This d oes not refer to two sepa ra te sets of opposed cond itions. Ra ther, possibility a nd impossibility a re d oubled up in the sa me cond itions. This d oubling of (im)possibility ex clud es a n empha sis solely on the pole of either ena bling or d isa bling cond itions. Or, to put it a nother wa y, it suggests a n a na lysis in terms other tha n the simple, a ll or nothing choices between success or fa ilure tha t so often cha ra cter- ize d eba tes in geogra phy. The d istinctive epi- stemologica l significa nce of d econstructive pra ctice d oes not lie prima rily in rela tion to issues of certa inty or scepticism, constructed ness or corre- spond ence. Deconstruction implies a d ifferent, non-oppositiona l pla cement of necessity a nd contingency, rule a nd cha nce, fa ct a nd fiction, repetition a nd cha nge. If, then, d econstruction is a presence in va rious field s in huma n geogra phy, it continues to be the subject of very little ex plicit ex position. There seems to be a n una cknowled ged investment in the id ea tha t d econstruction is too d ifficult, or too precious, to be opened up a nd ma d e a ccessible. As Spa rke (1994, 1066) observes, there is a tend ency for some commenta tors on d econstruction to a d opt 279 a n a ttitud e of 'va ngua rd ist theoreticism', which justifies a ha ughty d isd a in for a ny a nd a ll a ttempts to ma ke d econstruction a va ila ble. But it is not in the spirit of d econstruction to insist tha t it is a n unremittingly d ifficult id iom. This only encloses d econstruction, conta ins it a ga in, imposes a nd celebra tes ina ccessibility a s a ba d ge of ra d ica l potentia l never to be rea lized . The purpose here, in a spirit of wilful na ivety, is to provid e a commen- ta ry on some fea tures of d econstruction tha t might a pply to certa in method ologica l a nd conceptua l issues in huma n geogra phy. The specific focus is upon the issue of contex t, a theme of genera l concern in geogra phica l empirica l a nd theoretica l resea rch. It will be a rgued tha t by helping to d ra w out the spa tia l ima gina ry of conceptua liza tions of contex t, d econstruction works to resist the tempta - tion to turn immed ia tely towa rd s historica l, linguistic or socia l contex t in a ll their empiricist obviousness. The a uthority of contex t The importa nce of contex t in huma n geogra phy is both substa ntive a nd theoretica l (Sunley 1996). Substa ntively, there is a strong sense tha t geogra - phy is a ctua lly a ll a bout contex ts. 'Pla ce' is once a ga in a fa voured reference point for resea rch, a theme tha t ca n be tra ced ba ck to d eba tes in the 1980s over loca lities, regions a nd structure a nd a gency (Ma ssey 1984; Thrift 1983). These d eba tes la id the ground work for wha t is now a much broa d er a pprecia tion of the pla ce-specific constitu- tion of socia l processes, registered not lea st in the turn to 'culture' in va rious subd isciplines. 'Con- tex t' is shortha nd for a sensitivity towa rd s the wa ys in which genera l processes a re embed d ed , mod ified a nd reprod uced in pa rticula r, loca l pla ces. Theoretica lly, this concern is rela ted to a critique of universa list epistemologies. Id ea s, rep- resenta tions a nd theories a re und erstood to be intrinsica lly connected to the pa rticula r contex ts in which they a re prod uced . Post-structura lism is just one reference point for this und ersta nd ing of the contex tua l na ture of knowled ge a nd conceptua liz- a tion. Across a ra nge of subd isciplines, contex t is conceptua lized a s the pa rticula r a nd the contin- gent, contra sted to a nd reva lued over a nd a bove genera l processes a nd universa l logics of necessity. Thus, contex tua lism is sta ged in opposition to essentia lism (Ba rnes 1989), the cultura l is sta ged in 280 opposition to the economic (Cra ng 1997) a nd pla ce is sta ged in opposition to spa ce (Curry 1996); in a ll ca ses, the pa rticula r is sta ged in opposition to the genera l, the contingent to the necessa ry. In short, a n oppositiona l conceptua liza tion of the d ifference between the genera l a nd the pa rticula r und er- writes the theoretica l a scend a ncy of contex t in contempora ry huma n geogra phy (see Strohma yer 1993, 326). It is a t this point tha t a series of theoretica l d ifficulties present themselves, revolving a round the tend ency to ma p d istinctions such a s necessa ry a nd contingent, a bstra ct a nd concrete, spa ce a nd pla ce onto ea ch other (see Cox a nd Ma ir 1989; Sa yer 1989a ; 1989b). The question tha t emerges from these d iscussions, one tha t bea rs upon con- tempora ry geogra phica l contex tua lism in genera l, concerns the ima ge of spa ce tha t und erwrites the clea r d ema rca tion of necessa ry rela tions from con- tingent cond itions, genera l process from loca l rea liza tions, while a lso ena bling the former to be a ugmented by the la tter. Discussions of contex t in huma n geogra phy tend to conform to the 'stra nge logic of the supplement' ela bora ted by Derrid a , a ccord ing to which wha t seems a t first to be a second a ry, unnecessa ry or superfluous a d d ition to a n a ppa rently a uthentic a nd na tura l form (such a s writing to speech, tra nsla tion to origina l) turns out to be necessa ry a nd essentia l to it: the a d d ition of the supplement ma rks 'the origina lity of the la ck tha t ma kes necessa ry the a d d ition of the supple- ment' (Derrid a 1976, 214). The a ffirma tion of the necessity of contingency in huma n geogra phy, evi- d ent in the prolifera tion of contex t a s a genera l theme, suggests tha t contingency is fold ed ba ck into the rea lm of necessity or genera lity in a pa ttern tha t threa tens to und ermine the very possibility of clea rly a nd d ecisively d istinguishing two d ifferent sets of rela tions or cond itions in the first pla ce. And this suggests tha t the loca liza tion of contex t on one sid e of a d ivid e between pla ce a nd spa ce is equa lly problema tic. Ra ther tha n ima gining some tid y resolution to these problems of d ua listic thinking (Sa yer 1991), it might be necessa ry to consid er a wholly other wa y of ima gining the spa ce of conceptua liza tion through which to rethink contex t. The importa nce of contex t is, then, wid ely ta ken for gra nted in huma n geogra phy. But there is very little ex plicit consid era tion of just wha t constitutes 'contex t'.1 In fa ct, contex t often serves a s a sort of ex pla na tory bla ck box . It should therefore be Clive Ba rnett possible to ra ise some questions rega rd ing wha t is ex clud ed by the unquestioned impera tive 'a lwa ys to contex tua lize'. Deconstruction only ind irectly a d d resses the pred omina nt thema tic concerns tha t geogra phers ha ve a bout contex t. In wha t follows, the issue of contex t will be a d d ressed through the specific prism offered by conceptua liza tions of con- tex t in rela tion to issues of tex tua lity a nd interpre- ta tion, which ha ve become significa nt themes in recent huma n geogra phy (see Ba rnes a nd Gregory 1997). It is hoped tha t d econstruction's pa rticula r concern with questions of tex tua lity (which is not to be d enied ) will be shown to a rticula te with broa d er questions of concern to geogra phers, insofa r a s this concern turns upon a problema tiz- a tion of the cha ra cteristic spa tia liza tion of ca tegorica l conceptua liza tion.2 The sta rting point for this ex ercise in ex position is the observa tion tha t invoca tions of the a uthority of contex t in huma n geogra phy a re cha ra cterized by a reference to contex t a s the ex pla na tory or interpreta tive principle with which to rein in the a ppa rent threa t of linguistic ind etermina cy. Huma n geogra phy's recent encounter with theories of d iscourse, representa tion a nd tex tua lity a nd a ssocia ted interpreta tive method ologies ha s gone ha nd in ha nd with a ca reful foreground ing of contex t a s a guid ing principle of interpreta tion. There is a ta ken-for-gra nted consensus tha t id ea s, d iscourses a nd representa tions need to be pla ced in historica l, economic or socia l contex ts if they a re to be properly interpreted , ex pla ined a nd criticized . La nd sca pes-a s-tex ts need to be pla ced in the con- tex t of ma teria l la nd sca pes (Mitchell 1996; Peet 1996); tex tua l spa ces need to be und erstood in rela tion to rea l spa ces (Gregory 1995; Smith 1994); spa tia l meta phors need to be ground ed in ma teria l spa tia lity (Smith a nd Ka tz 1993); litera ry represen- ta tions need to be seen in broa d er socia l contex ts (Cresswell 1996); genera lized commod ifica tion is a scribed d ifferentia l significa nce in loca l contex ts (Ja ckson 1999). There a re two nota ble fea tures a bout the spa tia liza tion of concepts implied by a ppea ls to contex t a s the principle tha t fix es a nd d etermines mea ning. Firstly, tex ts or uttera nces a re cha ra cteristica lly put (ba ck) in contex t, in a n a ct of repla cing. The a ppea l to contex t is a n a ct tha t loca lizes, returning a rtefa cts to their origina l situa - tions or their proper loca tions. Second ly, the a ppea l to contex t (whether und erstood a s pla ces, period s or epochs, or linguistic communities), involves the insta lla tion of bord ers tha t provid e a secure fra me Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a within which ca lcula tions of a n otherwise unbound tex tua lity ca n be conta ined . Deconstruc- tion suspend s both these opera tions, a nd in so d oing opens a spa ce in which to a d d ress ex plicitly the theoretica l formula tion of contex t. One of the subd isciplines where there ha s been ex tensive conceptua l reflection on issues of contex t is in the history of geogra phica l id ea s. The evolu- tion of mod em a ca d emic geogra phy ha s been pla ced within a broa d er, intertex tua l contex t of institutiona l a nd scientific d evelopments (see Livingstone 1992; Stod d a rt 1981). There ha s a lso been a consid era tion of contex ts tha t lie beyond the na rrow confines of the a ca d emy: economic, politi- ca l a nd socia l contex ts (see Driver 1992; God lewska a nd Smith 1994). In his most recent work, Da vid Livingstone ha s further refined und ersta nd ings of contex t by reflecting ex plicitly upon the spa ces in which geogra phica l knowled ge is prod uced (Livingstone 1995). In this field a s in others, d iscus- sions of the rela tions between tex ts a nd contex ts ha ve come to serve a s the mea ns through which to d evelop genera l theories of communica tion tha t tend to privilege certa in und ersta nd ings of 'com- munity', 'mea ning' a nd 'pra ctice'. Robert Ma yhew ha s proposed a n und ersta nd ing of contex t a s a field of sha red communica tive a ction tha t regula tes the prod uction a nd circula tion of geogra phica l knowled ge a nd its historica l interpreta tion (Ma yhew 1994). In sea rching for a secure epistemo- logica l found a tion for the possibility of historica l recovery, Ma yhew is forced to posit a n id ea lized linguistic consensus a s the ba sis of the possibility of mea ning (Ma yhew 1998). This conceptua liza tion of linguistic contex t sta rts from the a cknowled gement tha t mea ning might be d ifficult to pin d own, but only a s a prelud e to a n a ccount in which this possi- bility is a scribed no pla ce in ex pla ining how mea n- ingful communica tion works. In this a ccount, a 'performa tive' theory of la ngua ge is und erstood a s one tha t confirms the legitima cy of esta blished rules a nd norms of la ngua ge use (Ma yhew 1998, 23).3 The ex clusion of ind etermina cy a nd cha nce from the essentia l und ersta nd ing of communica tion in conventiona l theories of la ngua ge is the ind ex of the moment a t which contex t, und erstood a s the linguistic contex t in which uttera nces a re conta ined by the sa nctions tha t reprod uce a ccepted public senses, is conceptua lized a ccord ing to a n enclosed , bound ed ima ge of spa ce. The link between a n id ea lized mod el of communica tion tha t a ccord s unquestioned legitima cy to the conventiona l 281 a uthority of id ea lized homogenous communities, a nd a d istinctively a rea l, enclosed conception of contex t is ma d e ex plicit in Micha el Curry's pro- gra mme for a 'geogra phy of tex ts' (1996). Curry's project is d epend ent upon a certa in conception of the proper pla ce of tex ts in the world . Pla ce-ma king is und erstood a s a colla bora tive, con- sensua l pra ctice, the subject of which is a n un- d ifferentia ted 'we' (1996, 96-8). It is, furthermore, a n unselfconscious pra ctice: it is a ma tter of ha bit, custom, routine, not of cognition or conceptua liz- a tion, nor of a pplying rules. This und ersta nd ing provid es the ba sis for Curry's a ccount of the socia ble geogra phies of written tex ts, which ena ble the esta blishment of community a nd solid a rity, the construction a nd ma intena nce of pla ces, a nd ex tension of und ersta nd ing a cross spa ce a nd time. The problem with written tex ts, for Curry, is tha t, while they ha ve a series of proper loca tions (rea l a nd virtua l pla ces such a s libra ries, semina r rooms or communities of rea d ers), they a lso ha ve the unfortuna te tend ency to promote a n ima ge of the tex t 'a s something mobile, something tha t could be a nywhere' (Curry 1996, 204). This mobility somehow belongs properly to tex ts, but is a lso prone to a n ex cessive d rift tha t must be controlled if und ersta nd ing is to be ma inta ined . While Curry a d mits the possibility tha t tex ts might turn up in unusua l pla ces (such a s the street, for ex a mple), this is only conceptua lized a s a mis- pla cement, a nd is not a ccord ed a ny conceptua l significa nce. He posits a n a ll-or-nothing mod el of communica tion, in which the reprod uction or tra nsla tion of tex ts is a lwa ys governed by a bina ry, hiera rchica l opposition between id entity a nd d if- ference, success or fa ilure. The a d mission tha t tex ts ca n d rift out of pla ce serves only a s a prelimina ry to a n a ssertion tha t a ny tend ency towa rd s ex ces- sive spa tia l mobility need s to be conta ined . An id ea lized mod el of und ifferentia ted , consensua l pla ce-ma king und erwrites a n a ccount in which tex ts a nd uttera nces a re consid ered only to ha ve mea ning by virtue of being ba cked up by rightful a uthority - which is equiva lent to being in their proper, rightful pla ces. Both Ma yhew a nd Curry provid e conceptua lly d eta iled a ccounts of issues of tex ts a nd contex ts, which a cknowled ge the la tent possibility of ind etermina te a nd mispla ced tex tua lity, only to ex clud e this possibility from their conceptua liz- a tions of the essentia l fea tures of la ngua ge, mea n- ing a nd communica tion a s a n ex ceptiona l event, a 282 mere a ccid ent. This repud ia tion of the possibility of mea ning going a stra y bind s together the insid e of contex t, whether this is und erstood a s a linguistic community, a socia l consensus or a bound ed pla ce. A certa in ima ge of spa ce, ma d e up of d efined bord ers a nd ed ges ena bling clea r d istinctions to be ma d e between essence a nd a ccid ent, is pivota l to this sort of conceptua liza tion of la ngua ge. There is a n unobserved prescriptivism involved in these kind s of a ccounts of communica tion a nd linguistic contex t. An a cknowled gement of the conven- tiona l qua lities of communica tion pra ctices slid es imperceptibly into a theoretica l wa rra nt for limit- ing proper la ngua ge usa ge to a na rrow ra nge of a ctivities sa nctioned by given cultura l communi- ties. Behind a n infla ted rhetoric of 'pra ctice', a seemingly neutra l a nd functiona l a ccount of la n- gua ge in terms of rules, consensus, sha red cod es a nd proper usa ges tra nsforms socia l norms into fa cts a nd puts them beyond question (see Ca meron 1995). Deconstruction is often presented a s involving a n uncond itiona l a ffirma tion of pure linguistic ind etermina cy. This position ca n in turn be rhetori- ca lly rejected on the ground s tha t it puta tively lea ves no firm found a tion for socia l communica - tion or mea ning. There is a lso a n a lmost a x ioma tic a ssumption tha t d econstruction is a na rrow, id ea l- ist tex tua lism tha t wa rra nts a ca va lier d isrega rd for issues of contex t. In both ca ses, 'contex t' (or 'pra c- tice'), tend s to be invoked a s the principle tha t sta bilizes the slipperiness of mea ning tha t d econ- struction is supposed to celebra te. Pa rticula r repre- senta tions of d econstruction help to secure the norma liza tion of consensua l, a greea ble communi- ca tion a s a n a priori principle of ord er. But d econ- struction d oes not enter this field on one sid e of a choice between whether to contex tua lize or not, nor whether to d ecid e tha t mea ning is a bsolutely secure a nd tra nspa rent or a bsolutely ind etermi- na te. It is not the conventiona l, socia l na ture of communica tion pra ctices tha t is a t sta ke, but the question of how to jud ge the opera tion a nd force of norms a nd conventions. The rest of this pa per will show tha t d econstruction offers a n a ccount of tex tua lity a nd contex tua liza tion tha t d iffers from conventiona l und ersta nd ings by virtue of its cha r- a cteristic trea tment of ex ceptions. Ex ceptions a re ta ken a s ind ices of a n a lterna tive und ersta nd ing of the rules governing communica tion pra ctices, ra ther tha n the occa sion for confirming the obvi- ousness a nd legitima cy of ex isting rules a nd their Clive Ba rnett opera tion. And d econstruction's trea tment of ex ceptions d isrupts the sta ble spa tia l ord er of ca tegorica l conceptua liza tion. Displa cing tex tua lity Prising open the enclosure of la ngua ge A sta rting point for this d iscussion is to a sk whether d econstruction d oes ind eed tea ch tha t we a re confined to the prison-house of la ngua ge. Surely this is the inevita ble rea d ing of Derrid a 's (1976, 158) infa mous little phra se, 'there is nothing outsid e the tex t'? One ca n find in geogra phy a positive interpreta tion of this a s necessa rily mea n- ing tha t there is no wa y to get outsid e la ngua ge in ord er to justify truth cla ims. There is 'only a shifting system of signifiers which is inesca pa ble' (Ba rnes 1994, 1025). In fa ct, huma n geogra phy's encounter with d econstruction opened with this found ing a ct of conta inment: 'Deconstruction shows how la ngua ge imposes limits on our thinking' (Dea r 1988, 266). Such rea d ings only confirm a n esta blished convention of representing la ngua ge in terms of bound a ries, confinement a nd limits. Is it not possible to ima gine the spa ce of la ngua ge d ifferently? The d istinctive ima ges of enclosure tha t cha ra c- terize. so ma ny d iscussions of la ngua ge a re ques- tioned by d econstruction (see Bennington 1989). Deconstruction interferes with und ersta nd ings of bord ers a nd bound a ries by rewriting spa tia l ca tegories a ccord ing to a rhetoric of movement, tra cking the wa ys in which conceptua l closure is only ever constituted by regula ting the pla y of opening a nd ex posure. Any d iscussion of d econ- struction therefore need s to negotia te the sta tic spa tia l ima gina ry of ca tegorica l conceptua liza tion, which is closely tied to a territoria l voca bula ry of d elimita tions (Bennington 1994, 259-73; Reicha rt 1992). Deconstruction not only reca sts the spa tia l ima gina ry of concepts like tex t a nd contex t, but the result of this insistent questioning of the opera tions of bord ers a nd bound a ries is a set of ra ther blurred 'concepts' with no clea r ed ges, which keep slipping from view. Deconstructive concepts a re a lwa ys on the move (Doel 1994). The d econstructive sense of tex tua lity refers to the movement by which a ll a ppa rently enclosed , tota lized a nd self-id entica l objects a nd concepts a re fra ctured by their necessa ry rela tions with other elements: Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a If there is no-thing outsid e the tex t, this implies, with the tra nsforma tion of the concept of tex t in genera l, tha t the tex t is no longer the snug a ir-tight insid e of a n interiority or a n id entity-to-itself ... but ra ther a d iffer- ent pla cement of the effects of opening a nd closing. (Derrid a 1981a , 35-6, empha sis a d d ed ) This ha s two implica tions tha t bea r upon the issue of the ima ge of spa ce tha t und erwrites conceptu- a liza tions of contex t. Firstly, by questioning the d ivision between the pure interiority of tex ts a nd the a bsolute ex teriority of contex ts, it suggests the ina d equa cy of a ny representa tion of d econstruc- tion a s rema ining within the 'insid e' of a tex t (or a system of signifiers). By fra ying the ed ges between tex ts a nd contex ts, a nd rend ering the d istinction fina lly und ecid a ble, d econstruction promises to free a concern with tex ts from a cha ra cteristic red uction to the pla ne of mea ning, a nd from sub- ord ina tion to a ll the rea ssuring ethica l va lues of community, id entity a nd integrity tha t the uncriti- ca l d eployment of hermeneutic protocols implies (De Ma n 1989, 218-23). Second ly, a nd perha ps pa ra d ox ica lly, the ques- tioning of the setting of bound a ries a nd bord ers between tex ts a nd their contex ts rend ers problem- a tic a ny cla ims tha t the 'world -is-like-a -tex t'. The meta phorica l genera liza tion of tex t ha s been a n importa nt fa ctor in the ex tension of interpreta tive method ologies in huma n geogra phy (see Ba rnes a nd Dunca n 1992; Dunca n 1990). Pa ul Ricoeur's meta phorica l genera liza tion of tex t a s a mod el for socia l a ction ha s served a s a theoretica l reference point for this opera tion (Ricoeur 1974; 1981). Tex ts, on this mod el, continue to be und erstood a s intelligible unities, subject to hermeneutic interpre- ta tions tha t reconstitute the mea ning-full-ness of tex ts, of socia l a ction or of la nd sca pes a nd pla ces. Another importa nt source of ex pa nd ed notions of tex tua lity in huma n geogra phy is Rola nd Ba rthes (Dunca n a nd Dunca n 1988; 1992). Ba rthes (1977) d issolves the hermeneutic sea rch for origina l mea ning into a n end less plura lity of a cts of rea d - ing. Singula r a nd origina l mea ning is d ispla ced from its position of a uthority, only to be repla ced by the uninhibited sovereignty of multiple inter- preting subjects. These two notions of tex tua lity conform ra ther ex a ctly to the 'two interpreta - tions of interpreta tion', which a re cha ra cteristic of mod er philosophies tha t d etermine la ngua ge a s coex tensive with mea ning. On the one ha nd , the sea rch for origins (in intention, d esire, contex t); on the other, origina l mea nings a re d issolved into a n 283 intermina ble polysemic pla y of signifiers (Derrid a 1978c, 292-3). One should certa inly hesita te before a ssimila ting d econstruction to either position. Deconstruction gives rise to neither hermeneutic d eciphering nor the semiotic d ecod ing of mea ning (Derrid a 1982a , 29). And nor is d econstruction pa rticula rly well rea d a s a progra mme tha t presents philosophy, conceptua liza tion or la ngua ge a s prima rily a nd inesca pa bly meta phorica l: 'Derrid a is wid ely mis- ta ken for a friend of meta phor' (Pa tton 1996, 120). The Derrid ea n reinscription of tex tua lity effectively d econstructs the conceptua liza tion of meta phor tha t und erwrites the 'world -is-like-a -tex t' theme, a ccord ing to which a proper sense of tex t is simply tra nsported to its outsid e (Derrid a 1978b; 1982a , 207-71). Derrid a reca sts the spa tia lity und erlying und ersta nd ings of la ngua ge: conceptions of meta - phor d epend upon a sta ble spa tia l ord er a nd on the ma intena nce of secure bord ers, which a llow the tra nsporta tion of a given sense to new d oma ins. Deconstruction's genera lized tex tua lity is not strictly meta phorica l a t a ll, since it d epend s upon a n a buse of mea ning tha t refers to no proper norm (Derrid a 1984, 123). Derrid a 's genera liza tion of tex t might be better und erstood a s a metonymic effect, a rticula ting contiguous elements. Unlike the logic of id entity tha t cha ra cterizes meta phor (see De Ma n 1996), the epistemologica l effects of metonymy d epend upon ma inta ining the pla y of irred ucible d ifference between senses. A stra tegy of intervention If the d econstructive genera liza tion of the concept of tex t 'a lmost without limit' (Derrid a 1986a , 167) is not merely a meta phorica l ca rrying over of one mea ning to other rea lms, then wha t d oes it involve? This genera liza tion is pred ica ted upon a tra nsforma tion in the very sense of tex t, one tha t d epend s on refiguring the spa tia l ima ge of the rela tions between bord ers, fra mes, insid es a nd out- sid es. This is well illustra ted in the following cita tion, which ind ica tes the d ouble d ispla cement a t pla y in the d econstructive sense of tex tua lity: If we a re to a pproa ch a tex t, it must ha ve a n ed ge. The question of the tex t, a s it ha s been ela bora ted a nd tra nsformed in the la st d ozen or so yea rs, ha s not merely 'touched ' shore, le bord ... a ll those bound a ries tha t form the running bord er of wha t used to be ca lled a tex t, of wha t we once thought this word could id entify, ie, the supposed end a nd beginning of a work, the unity of a corpus, the title, the ma rgins, the 284 signa tures, the referentia l rea lm outsid e the fra me, a nd so forth. Wha t ha s ha ppened , if it ha s ha ppened , is a sort of overrun (d ebord ement) tha t spoils a ll these bound a ries a nd d ivisions a nd forces us to ex tend the a ccred ited concept, the d omina nt notion of a 'tex t', of wha t I still ca ll a 'tex t' for stra tegic rea sons, in pa rt - a 'tex t' tha t is henceforth no longer a finished corpus of writing, some content enclosed in a book or its ma rgins, but a d ifferentia l network, a fa bric of tra ces referring end lessly to something other tha n itself, to other d iffer- entia l tra ces. Thus the tex t overruns a ll the limits a ssigned to it so fa r (not submerging or d rowning them in a n und ifferentia ted homogeneity, but ra ther ma king them more complex , d ivid ing a nd multiplying strokes a nd lines) - a ll the limits, everything tha t wa s set up in opposition to writing (speech, life, the world , the rea l, history, a nd wha t not, every field of reference - to bod y or mind , conscious or unconscious, politics, economics, a nd so forth). (Derrid a 1979, 84-5) As noted a bove, there is a d ouble d ispla cement of tex t a t work in this cita tion. Firstly, this pa ssa ge d emonstra tes tha t tex t no longer functions, in a n immed ia te wa y, a s the na me of a n intelligible tex tua l object, counterposed to a n ex tra tex tua l outsid e. Ra ther, in d econstruction, 'tex t' is re- positioned a s the very med ium a cross which the d ivision is esta blished a nd tra versed . Tex t is just one figure for a n und ersta nd ing of med ia tion cut loose from a n origin or a teleologica l end , in which the mid d le is not merely a pa ssa ge between two pre-ex isting entities, but is given priority a s a constitutive pla y of cha nce a nd necessity.4 Second ly, the d ispla cement of tex t, a s a figure of med ia tion, d epend s in turn upon the tra nsforma - tion of the norma l concept of tex t. Derrid a 's writ- ings reinscribe the usua l sense of tex t in rela tion to a voca bula ry of fa brics a nd cloths, woven tissues a nd threa d s, wea ving, la cing, bind ing, rend ing, knotting. This und erwrites a n infra structura l red efinition of tex t (Derrid a 1982a , 160). Writing is a woven tex ture, a n 'interla cing tha t wea ves together the system of d ifferences' (Derrid a 1981a , 165), bringing elements into rela tion in a network of interruptions, interla cing them while respecting their a lterity. Und erstood in this wa y, tex tua lity ha s no beginning or end , it is inex trica ble, or 'limitless'. Derrid a 's tex t is, then, a n 'a na gra m' (1981a , 98), consta ntly a nd prod uctively crossing between set- tled a nd innova tive senses. The mobiliza tion of this cita tiona l d rift between senses und erwrites the 'stra tegic' purpose a nima ting the reinscription of terms such a s tex t, writing, tra ce or supplement: d econstruction ma kes use of word s tha t 'slid e' in Clive Ba rnett ord er to ma ke the d iscourses from which they a re ta ken slid e (Derrid a 1978c, 262-70). Deconstruction d oes not suppla nt one set of concepts with a completely new set. It supplements ex isting con- cepts. Deconstruction 'libera tes' cha ra cteristics of a concept tha t a re norma lly held in reserve, a nd ex tend s them beyond their norma lly restricted scope. In so d oing, it blurs the clea r bound a ries tha t und erwrites their restriction. This is d escribed a s a pra ctice of 'pa leonomy', reta ining a n old na me to esta blish a new concept (Derrid a 1981b, 71). The retention of the old na me for the new, genera lized concept is the cond ition for reta ining the power of intervention tha t d econstruction a ims to ma ke in certa in institutiona l d oma ins. In borrowing the resources from the d iscourse it tra verses, d econ- struction 'find s its very foothold there' (Derrid a 1976, 314). The a im is to d emonstra te the system- a tic rela tions between concepts tha t a re often subjected to a rigorous sepa ra tion, revea ling the possibilities tha t a re a va ila ble to ma nipula te these sepa ra tions in a ll their a mbiguous potentia l. Deconstruction opens a line of questioning rega rd ing the insta lla tion of fra mes, limits a nd bound a ries with respect to pra ctices of rea d ing a nd writing, from the sca le of the microgeogra phies of written tex ts through to the ma crogeogra phies of cultura l forma tions a nd socia l institutions. It ma kes visible the wa ys in which tex ts a re embed d ed in regula tory technologies of rea d ing, writing a nd performa nce, which imply a d istribution of politica l effects a ll of their own. A focus on institutiona l questions is not there- fore missing from d econstruction (which is not to sa y tha t d econstruction's a ttention to the institu- tion ca nnot usefully be supplemented ). The d ouble d ispla cement of tex t is rela ted to d econstruction's pa rticula r mod e of tra versing the institutiona l a nd d iscursive spa ces in which it ta kes up resid ence. Deconstruction should not be too ra pid ly confla ted with the ra d ica liza tion of the structura list concep- tion of the sign (Derrid a 1981a , 261). It d oes not simply offer a theory of la ngua ge a s a n infinite semiosis of mea ning. This notion rema ins tied to a bina ry meta physics of the intelligible a nd sensible, a nd necessity a nd contingency. It, in turn, informs a pa rticula r rea d ing of the rela tionship between la ngua ge a nd power. Effects of socia l power a re und erstood to ta ke the form of wholly a rbitra ry sta biliza tions of the necessa ry ind etermina cy of mea ning; this then supports the notion tha t simply performing or uncovering the essentia l insta bility Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a of clea r, sha rp conceptua l d ivisions is a politica l a ct with una mbiguously oppositiona l va lue. The d econstructive a na lysis of the und ecid - a bility of mea ning implies tha t the a rticula tion of socia l power a nd la ngua ge d oes not necessa rily ta ke the form of sta bilizing the insta bilities of mea ning or na tura lizing socia l constructs. Quite the contra ry, it might be the ca se tha t the a rticula - tion of certa in rea l-world power rela tions works through the recognition a nd ex plicit ma nipula tion of irresolva ble insta bilities of mea ning.5 One lesson of d econstruction is tha t the politica l va lue of either fix ing mea ning (of closure or of id entity) or of ma inta ining insta bility (of a mbiva lence or of d iffer- ence) is not open to prior, conceptua l d etermina - tion. Deconstruction certa inly points towa rd s the contra d ictory a nd fina lly irreconcila ble cond itions of events, institutions a nd a cts of id entity. But it a lso a ffirms tha t these a re necessa rily given found a tions in performa tive a cts tha t pa ss through a structure of repetition (see Butler 1997; Weber 1989). This rend ers their found a tions or ground s unsta ble but not, simply for tha t rea son, wholly d ispensa ble (Derrid a 1986b; 1989; 1990). It follows from this und ersta nd ing of the necessa ry institu- tiona liza tion of found a tions tha t the critica l energies relea sed by d econstruction a re neither wholly tra nsforma tive of tha t upon which they a ct, nor wholly conserva tive. Ra ther, d econstruction ra ises the question of wha t bound a ries it is neces- sa ry to a ssume a nd protect for certa in pra ctices to get und erwa y. If, then, d econstruction is to be und erstood a s a n a na lytics of 'effects of opening a nd closing', how d oes it promise to a lter und ersta nd ings of contex tua liza tion a s a norm of interpreta tion? To a d d ress this question, it is necessa ry to con- sid er a little more closely the thema tics of writing, itera bility, spa cing a nd d iffera nce. Writing, itera bility, spa cing Communica tion a nd community The releva nce of the d econstructive genera liza tion of tex t to und ersta nd ings of the spa tia l ord er und erwriting conceptua liza tions of contex t is most clea rly ind ica ted by Derrid a 's enga gement with Anglo-America n ord ina ry la ngua ge philosophy a nd speech-a ct theory, a nd pa rticula rly the work of J L Austin (Derrid a 1982a , 307-30; 1988; Austin 1962).6 This tra d ition presents a philosophy of 285 la ngua ge where mea ning is und erstood in rela tion to the communica tive contex ts in which word s a re used . In so fa r a s mea ning is secured by contex t, it is presumed tha t contex t ca n be tota lized a nd theoretica lly reconstituted , a t lea st in principle. In Austin's a ccount of performa tive uttera nces, the 'felicitous' outcome of a communica tive a ct d epend s firstly upon a contex t of sha red und er- sta nd ing between interlocutors, a nd second ly upon the self-presence of intentions to spea kers a nd listeners in spoken word s. The possibility of a n 'infelicitous' outcome, of mea ning going a stra y, is a d mitted but conceptua lly sepa ra ted from its a lter- na tive. Ex ceptions a re cha ra cteristica lly d eployed to esta blish the priority of a pa rticula r mod el of proper usa ge secured by the force of consensus. Austin's is a highly norma tive a ccount tha t turns upon the ma intena nce of a clea r d ivision between legitima te a nd illegitima te uses. In recognizing the socia l a nd communica tive a spects of la ngua ge use a nd mea ning, speech-a ct theory nonetheless d etermines the socia l field of intersubjective communica tion a s homogenous, ha rmonious a nd unified . It presents a n a ccount of la ngua ge use a s a n essentia lly coopera tive form of a ctivity in which subjects a re regula ted by sha red a ims of a greement a nd consensus (Pra tt 1986a ). An ima ge of spa tia lly bound ed communities of a pa rticula r sca le is posited by this a ccount of proper usa ge. Austin's philosophy of la ngua ge rema ins conceptua lly d epend ent on a representa tion of a community of self-conscious, self-id entica l spea kers communica ting within the immed ia te prox imity a llowed by the ra nge of the voice: 'a community immed ia tely present to itself, without d ifference, a community of speech where a ll the members a re within ea rshot' (Derrid a 1976, 136). Deconstruction enta ils a rigorous questioning of the ethica l a nd politica l presuppositions of theories of la ngua ge a nd interpreta tion tha t presume 'linguistic utopia s' in which communica tion is secured by a single pla ne of mea ning sha red by a ll members of a community (see a lso Pra tt 1986b; 1987). Conventiona l theories of communica tion a nd mea ning such a s speech-a ct theory, but a lso includ ing contempora ry theories of d ia logism a nd id ea l speech situa tions, privilege a n id ea l of a community of spea kers a nd listeners inha biting the sa me horizon of consensus, teleologica lly d irected towa rd s mutua l und ersta nd ing. Id entity of inter- est, of purpose or of culture is presupposed a s the cond ition of successful communica tion. 286 Ra ther tha n presume sha red la ngua ge a nd the pre-given bound a ries of a homogenous com- munity a s a prior cond ition for communica tion, d econstruction ex poses d ifference, cha nce, d isjunc- ture a nd uncerta inty a s necessa ry cond itions of communica tion (see Cha ng 1996). Difference is not und erstood a s the nega tion of id entity nor a s opposition. Difference is rewritten a ccord ing to a n a lterna tive spa tia liza tion, not of conta inment a nd enclosure, but of fold s, openings, pa ssa ges. Communica tion negotia tes a cross a n a poretic spa ce-between tha t ga thers up a nd sepa ra tes spea kers a nd listeners, writers a nd rea d ers in a non-reciproca l ethica l rela tionship of responsibility tha t ex ceed s ca lcula tion (see Critchley 1992; Derrid a 1992a ; 1992b; Levina s 1969). Communica - tion is thus rethought a long the lines suggested by a certa in und ersta nd ing of tra nsla tion (Derrid a 1985a ), one tha t a ffirms a necessa ry element of untra nsla ta bility a s its very cond ition. This is not rega rd ed a s a ba rrier to communica tion, but a s the ma rk of a n a rticula ted pla y of opening towa rd s a lterity tha t is not a ssimila ted in the event of communica tion tha t it ma kes possible. It follows tha t in d econstruction, commona lity is figured not in terms of id entity or homogeneity, but in light of a n a cknowled gement of 'the impossibility of a n a bsolutely pure a nd rigorously uncrossa ble limit' (Derrid a 1993, 75). Deconstruction thus informs a wid er effort to rethink the possibilities of commu- nity, ethics a nd universa lity beyond the horizon of sha red id entity a nd tra nspa rent communica tion (Na ncy 1991; Young 1990; 1997).7 Articula ting d iffera nce The a ffirma tion of d ifference in d econstruction, freed from conceptua l subord ina tion to id entity where d ifference is und erstood a s d eriva tion, nega tion or opposition (Doel 1992) lea d s onto the rela ted themes of 'spa cing', 'writing' a nd 'itera bility'. These terms a re centra l to the d isrup- tion of the norma tive va lue a ccord ed to contex t in theories of interpreta tion. Writing serves a s the figure of a n a lterna tive und ersta nd ing of spa ce, in terms of spa cing a nd opening. Derrid a consistently uncovers a norma lizing impulse a t work in cla ssi- ca l a nd mod ern theories of mea ning. This is regis- tered in the red uction of the contingencies of spa ce a nd time to a n ord er of essence, id entity, necessity, presence. Conceptions of the 'norma l' opera tion of speech, mea ning, communica tion or significa tion Clive Ba rnett a re routinely secured by the thema tiza tion of empirica l ex ceptions tha t need to be ex clud ed from conceptua l consid era tion. Yet, just a s routinely, the subord ina ted term rea ppea rs meta phorica lly to d escribe the norma l opera tion: it is in two pla ces a t once, both insid e a nd outsid e a n enclosed conceptua l spa ce of essence or necessity. For Derrid a , it is writing tha t is most often simulta neously thema tized a nd elid ed in this wa y, a s a necessa ry supplement a nd a s a figure of a bsence, d eferra l, d ifference a nd spa tia l ex tension tha t must be neutra lized or recupera ted in the na me of id entity, mea ning, und ersta nd ing a nd unity. Writing is usua lly und erstood a s the med ium in which mea ning is tra nsported , but a lso a s a med ium tha t is risky, d a ngerous a nd lia ble to usurpa tion. It is this a mbiguity tha t is ex ploited in the d econstruction of contex t. Written tex ts must be a ble to opera te in the complete a bsence of their a uthor's intentions or wid er cond itions of origina l prod uction (Derrid a 1978a , 123-43); writing must be a ble to be rea d out of contex t, it is 'born by suspend ing its rela tion to origin' (Derrid a 1976, 243). Derrid a d eploys the notion of writing to ind ica te tha t the power of d ispersa l usua lly reserved for writing is inherent to a ll la ngua ge use: 'Tha t la ngua ge must tra verse spa ce, be obliged to be spa ced , is not a n a ccid enta l tra it but the ma rk of its origin' (Derrid a 1976, 232). The ex tension of la ngua ge in spa ce is not a second a ry, d eriva - tive or a ccid enta l fea ture tha t is a d d ed to the proper id ea lity of mea ning. The cha ra cteristic of 'itera bility', the ca pa city for d ifferentia l repetition out of contex t, is therefore the cond ition of writing a s writing: writing must be repea ta ble a nd rema in legible even in the event of the d isa ppea ra nce of its a uthor or a ny specifia ble a d d ressee (Derrid a 1982a , 315). Three issues immed ia tely follow from Derrid a 's re-eva lua tion of writing a s a figure for a non- red ucible movement of spa cing a s the cond ition of communica tion. First, the theme of origina ry writ- ing red ra ws the notion of origin. The genera liz- a tion of writing, a s cond ensed in va rious figures of movement, spa cing a nd tempora liza tion, is ind ica tive of a n effort to think of cond itions of possibility without reference to a n origin of punctua l presence or pure form. Second ly, writing na mes the spa cing or d rift a t the origin of a ll id entity a nd presence, a nd this suggests a reworked sense of representa tion. In a ffirming the irred ucibility of representa tion, this term is now Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a und erstood in rela tion to tex tua l figures of pres- ence a nd a bsence, thereby d ispla cing a purely visua l notion of representa tion (see Ca stree 1996; Derrid a 1982b; Spiva k 1988). Repetition of the 'sa me' element in a new contex t involves a move- ment of re-presenta tion tha t pa sses through a structure of itera bility. And third ly, the theme of writing ind ica tes a re-eva lua tion of cha nce. The unrelia ble a nd error-prone cha ra cteristics usua lly a scribed to writing a s a mere supplement a re genera lized a s constitutive cond itions of a ll com- munica tion. This should not be confused with a simple eva lua tion of cha nce in opposition to neces- sity or rules. It is, ra ther, connected to a sense of the necessity of the pla y of cha nce or ind etermina cy in a ny successful communica tive pra ctice (La wlor 1992, 111-22). Combining these three themes of a non-origina l origin, re-presenta tion a s d ifferentia l repetition, a nd cha nce, a llows one to a pproa ch the importa nce of the theme of d iffera nce in d econstruction. Differ- a nce is a n und ersta nd ing of d ifference tha t is not subsumed within a n ord er of the sa me; it testifies to the continuing importa nce a scribed to certa in 'tra nscend enta l' questions. Diffgra nce implies a d ouble reference: to spa tia lity, in the sense of d ifference a s a pa rtness a nd sepa ra tion, a nd d isper- sa l; a nd to tempora lity, in the sense of d eferring, d ela y a nd postponement (Derrid a 1973, 82). It is a bove a ll importa nt to und erscore the processua l sense of the movement of d iffera nce. Differa nce is a nother figure for a movement of med ia tion tha t opens presence, id entity a nd time a nd their con- ceptua l d eriva tives of a bsence, d ifference a nd spa ce (Derrid a 1982a , 1-27). It is one na me for the 'pra ctice of spa cing' tha t opens the spa ce for rep- etition a nd representa tion, but this is und erstood a s a n a lea tory spa ce tha t ensures tha t pure repeti- tion or re-presenta tion of the sa me is fina lly impos- sible.8 Differa nce is therefore a 'concept' tha t works to free und ersta nd ings of tempora liza tion a nd spa cing from subord ina tion to a ny teleologica l horizon: 'To sa y tha t d iffra nce is origina ry is simul- ta neously to era se the myth of a present origin' (1978c, 203).9 Dissemina tion without return In d econstruction, the possibility of repetition in the a bsence of origina l contex t, which is usua lly reserved for the conventiona l concept of writing a s a n a d d ition tha t tra nsmits the content of a speech 287 a ct, is genera lized a s a cond ition for a ll la ngua ge use. The possibility of written ma rks being ta ken out of contex t, their 'itera bility', is the ex pression of a n origina ry d isloca tion tha t inheres in a ll com- munica tive a cts. All communica tion inha bits a structure of itera bility: a ll signs ca n be cited , ca n brea k with contex t a nd ca n be enga ged in new contex ts. Any origina l event is therefore irred eema bly lost a s soon a s it is enuncia ted , unrecovera ble in its a ppa rent singula r a nd origi- na l plenitud e, inscribed a s it is in a pa ttern of d ispla cement a nd repetition. La ngua ge is a lwa ys a lrea d y d elivered over to a n unforeseea ble d estina tion. A cond ition of the intelligibility of a tex t in a ny contex t is tha t it is a lrea d y on the move. The pra ctice of d econstruction revea ls this movement; so d oes tra nsla tion. Tha t tex ts a re subject to tra ns- la tion is a n empirica l fa ct tha t ha s theoretica l consequences for the spa tia l a nd tempora l ord er und erwriting conceptua liza tions of contex t a s a norm of interpreta tion. Tra nsla tion is here und er- stood not in terms of a n a bstra ct d ivision between origina l a nd copy, but a s a process tha t pa sses through a whole continuum of tra nsforma tions (see Benja min 1978, 325). As such, tra nsla tion is a nother figure of fra gmenta tion, movement a nd insta bility a t the 'origin': This movement of the origina l is a wa nd ering, a n erra nce, a kind of perma nent ex ile if you wish, but it is not rea lly a n ex ile, for there is no homela nd , nothing from which one ha s been ex iled . (De Ma n 1986, 92) Itera bility, the movement of tex tua lity tha t a ccounts for the potentia l of elements to be gra fted into new contex ts, is therefore cha ra cterized by a 'd issemina tion without return', a pa ttern of d isper- sa l without a n ex pected , a nticipa ted tra jectory (Derrid a 1992a , 48). This is not to be confused with a hermeneutic conception of polysemy, wherein multiplicity a nd va riety is conta ined within a pla ne of mea ning, so tha t plura lity is pred etermined a s essentia lly sema ntic. Dissemina tion d oes not project a horizon of (ind etermina te) multiple mea nings. It is not a ma tter of lex ica l or sema ntic richness a t a ll; d issemina tion is a 'concept' d erived from the observa tion of synta ctic va ria nce (Derrid a 1981a , 220-21). Deconstruction d irects a ttention to the 'horizonta l' pla cement of elements in rela tion to ea ch other. It therefore implies a n a na lytics of a rticula tion, not of correspond ence, interpreta tion or necessity. 288 Displa cing contex t Deconstruction's cha ra cteristic reord ering of the va lue a scribed to cita tions, d evia tions, the ma rgina l a nd the second a ry implies a d ifferent a pproa ch to questions of contex t. Ra ther tha n subord ina ting ex ceptions to tra nscend ent norms, d econstruction ta kes them a s the sta rting point for d eveloping a d ifferent und ersta nd ing of the wa ys in which rules opera te, d isrupting the ground of self-evid ent truths a ga inst which the ex ception a ppea rs a s such (compa re Pecheux 1982, 199). Aga in, the specific properties norma lly a scribed to writing a re invoked here. It is useful to cite Derrid a , to ma ke clea r wha t this resista nce to the norma lizing restriction of cha nce, error a nd ind etermina cy a s non-essentia l a ccid ents or ex ceptions reserved for writing implies for conceptua liza tions of contex t: This is the possibility on which I wa nt to insist: the possibility of ex tra ction a nd cita tiona l gra fting which belongs to the structure of every ma rk, spoken or written, a nd which constitutes every ma rk a s written even before a nd outsid e every horizon of semiolinguis- tic communica tion; a s writing, tha t is, a s a possibility of functioning cut off, a t a certa in point, from its 'origina l' mea ning a nd from its belonging to a sa tura ble a nd constra ining contex t. Every sign, linguistic or non- linguistic, spoken or written (in the usua l sense of this opposition), a s a sma ll or la rge unity, ca n be cited , put between quota tion ma rks; thereby it ca n brea k with every given contex t, a nd engend er new contex ts in a n a bsolutely nonsa tura ble fa shion. This d oes not suppose tha t the ma rk is va lid outsid e its contex t, but on the contra ry tha t there a re only contex ts without a ny centre of a bsolute a nchoring. This cita tiona lity, d uplica tion, or d uplicity, this itera bility of the ma rk is not a n a ccid ent or a n a noma ly, but is tha t (norma l/a bnorma l) without which a ma rk could no longer even ha ve a so-ca lled 'norma l' functioning. (Derrid a 1982a , 320-21) The importa nt point is tha t, beca use of the itera ble cha ra cter of a ll significa tion, contex t is a lwa ys open: 'the limit of the fra me or the bord er of the contex t a lwa ys enta ils a cla use of nonclosure' (Derrid a 1988, 152-3). It should be noted tha t this und ersta nd ing d oes not lea d on to a d isrega rd for issues of contex t, nor of intention. But it d oes imply tha t if there is no mea ning without contex t, then nor ca n a ny contex t ever fina lly be closed or present to itself. Contex ts must a lwa ys be open to serve a s contex ts, but therefore they ca nnot fina lly conta in the force of itera bility: 'This is my sta rting point: no mea ning ca n be d etermined out of Clive Ba rnett contex t, but no contex t permits sa tura tion' (Derrid a 1979, 81). The mea ning of tex ts a nd uttera nces is d epend - ent on a lrea d y being on the move, spa ced out towa rd s multiple, una nticipa ted recontex tua liz- a tions. It is the va lue a scribed to certa in unprob- lema tized notions of contex t a s a n a uthorita tive method ologica l protocol, d epend ent upon a whole set of unsta ted philosophica l a nd ethica l a ssump- tions, tha t is put in question by d econstruction. Tra d itiona l questions of contex t a re not a ba nd oned . They a re reloca ted into a pra ctice in which they no longer serve a s the governing norms. The d econ- structive a ffirma tion of spa cing, in the figures of writing, itera bility a nd d iffera nce, suggests tha t a ny a na lysis of tex ts is thrown forwa rd : One of the d efinitions of wha t is ca lled d econstruction would be the effort to ta ke this limitless contex t into a ccount, to pa y the sha rpest a nd broa d est a ttention possible to contex t, a nd thus to a n incessa nt movement of recontex tua liza tion. (Derrid a 1988, 136, empha sis a d d ed ) Deconstruction a ffirms a heightened a wa reness of contex tua liza tion, und erstood a s the limitless potentia l for tex ts to be rea rticula ted in a n infinite number of times a nd pla ces. After d econstruction, contex t might be best thought of a s a d istinctively spa tia l figure not of conta inment but, insofa r a s it refers to wha t preced es, follows a nd surround s tex ts, of the rela tions of contiguity a nd prox imity between elements. While d econstruction certa inly a cknowled ges tha t tex ts ca nnot not a ppea r in pla ces, it a lso provokes a rethinking of pla ce in terms of d ifference, mobility, d isloca tion a nd openings, ra ther tha n in rela tion to the a rea l logic of consensus a nd enclosure. The tra ce of d iffera nce is inherent to a ll self-conta ined a nd self-present entities, such a s community, pla ce, contex t or the subject (Derrid a 1976, 44-73).10 The pla y of repeti- tion a t the origin of the ex perience of id entity a nd d ifference, presence a nd a bsence, time a nd spa ce suggests a n a pproa ch to pla ce und erstood a s a performa tive 'scene of writing' (Derrid a 1978c, 196-231; see a lso Ca sey 1997; Wigley 1993). The pa ssa ge through a d ifferentia l movement of spa c- ing ind ica tes tha t mea ning ta kes pla ce in a n oscilla tion between a rticula tions a nd d isa rticula - tions, a tta chments a nd d eta chments, which a re a lrea d y und erwa y. Postca rd s a re, perha ps, a pri- ma ry figure for the d econstructive und ersta nd ing Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a of the rela tions between tex ts, contex ts a nd spa cing implied by this incessa nt movement of recontex tua liza tion (Derrid a 1987): a d d ressed to a specific interlocutor, a postca rd is nonetheless potentia lly open to be rea d by a nyone. Successful communica tion is not therefore d epend ent on the precise conta inment of messa ges within enclosed cha nnels of ex cha nge. Postca rd s ex emplify the d issemina ting force of tex tua lity tha t ex ceed s a ll a ttempts a t fina lly enclosing mea ning in proper pla ces, since they ca nnot be secured from being rea d by unex pected rea d ers in una nticipa ted pla ces. Yet postca rd s a re a lso a figure for the a ffirma tion tha t mea ning is irred ucibly tied to loca l sites. Tha t is, mea ning is d epend ent on, but not fina lly red ucible to, loca l pra ctices. If mea ning is rela ted to contex t, then this d oes not require tha t mea ning be ma d e conceptua lly d epend ent on uttera nces a lwa ys being a rticula ted in proper con- tex ts by the proper person ba cked by the proper a uthority. The d ifferent orienta tion to rela tions between contex t, pla ce a nd norms of propriety suggested by d econstruction is revea led by the observa tion tha t the repertoire of terms tha t cha ra cterize d econstruction's reinscription of philosophica l con- ceptua liza tion (such a s the supplement, the tra ce, writing) a re a ll figures of the pa ra site. Pa ra sites a re certa inly d efined by their rela tion to pla ces; but not their own pla ces. They ha ve no proper pla ce: no pla ce tha t is properly their own, nor a pla ce tha t is theirs to own, a nd they a lso a ll tend to elud e a ttempts to conta in them on one sid e of clea r conceptua l bound a ries. The pa ra site is a figure of med ia tion, loca lized between insid es a nd outsid es, d efined by its a ppa rently pa ra d ox ica l spa tia l loca - tion: prox ima te a nd d ista nt, simila r a nd d ifferent, insid e a d omestic economy but not of it, this sid e a nd the other sid e of a threshold (Miller 1991, 145). The figure of the pa ra site therefore d isrupts mod els of communica tion premised on id ea ls of ex cha nge, id entity a nd community (see Serres 1982). In its insistent a ffirma tion of figures of the pa ra site, d econstruction a ccord s consid era ble a ttention to questions of spa ce, time a nd pla ce. In so d oing, it und oes the sta ble spa tia l ord er tha t secures a thinking of d ifference a ccord ing to a specific nor- ma tive economy of id entity a nd opposition. The prolifera tion of figures of the pa ra site in d econ- struction ind ica tes a n a lterna tive spa tia l ord er not of oppositions, but of a rticula tion, fold ing, opening a nd spa cing. 289 Depa rture points In closing, it should be a cknowled ged tha t d econ- struction d oes not necessa rily lea d onto a unique theoretica l or empirica l progra mme tha t ca n sche- ma tica lly be summa rized . It is not the intention here to point towa rd s a new empirica l a gend a a s such. Ra ther, this pa per ha s pursued three broa d themes. Firstly, it ha s tried to ind ica te the need to rethink the cha ra cteristic spa tia liza tion of concepts tha t und erwrites the construction of contex t a s a possible empirica l object of a na lysis or norm of interpreta tion a nd ex pla na tion. It ha s d one so by ca lling into question und ersta nd ings of bord ers a nd limits, ima ges of enclosure a nd representa tions of sta ble spa tia l pa tterns tha t a re routinely ta ken for gra nted in d iscussions of contex t. The pa per ha s therefore suggested tha t the tend ency to ta ke 'con- tex t' for gra nted , both a s a n empirica l object a nd a s a theoretica l theme, is rela ted to a pa rticula r ima ge of spa ce tha t und erwrites the possibility of ma king clea r ca tegorica l d istinctions between insid es a nd outsid es. Second ly, it ha s been suggested tha t d econstruc- tion moves through other progra mmes, method s a nd theories in d istinctive wa ys. This pa per ha s tried to give some sense of the d irection of this empha sis, ra ther tha n to set out a number of rules tha t could be a pplied . In pa rticula r, it ha s been suggested tha t wha t is d istinctive a bout d econ- struction is the wa y in which it d irects a ttention towa rd s a thinking of contex t without nosta lgia for a lost presence, however formula ted . It helps to ca ll into question the a uthority of usua l a ppea ls to contex t, whether this is fra med a s the intention of a consciousness, the communica tive horizon of inter- subjectivity or a s a d etermina nt historica l or socia l ground . Deconstruction's concern for contex t is not, therefore, governed by a n ethics of proper usa ge, rightful a uthority or necessa ry rela tions, which is closely tied to a pa rticula r spa tia l regime of conceptua liza tion. Third ly, d econstruction d oes not red uce every- thing to the sta tus of a tex t. On the contra ry, it multiplies a nd reca sts contex t, a nd libera tes a n empirica l a nd theoretica l concern for contex tua liz- a tion from the norma lizing rules tha t usua lly gov- ern ex pla na tion a nd interpreta tion. Deconstruction is a crea tive pra ctice of the a rticula tion of new rela tions tha t a re not esta blished in a d va nced .1 The movement of und ecid a ble a d d ress a t the 'origin' suggests a n a na lysis of openings a nd 290 closings, movements a nd d ispersa ls, a rriva ls a nd d epa rtures, d eliveries a nd returns. This a na lysis might be pursued in two d irections. Firstly, through a n investiga tion of how releva nt contex ts for tex ts a re sta bilized d iscursively, institutiona lly a nd socia lly (see Bennett 1987; Genette 1997). This would be a n a na lysis of the insta lla tion a nd d is- semina tion of the rules, protocols a nd norms of cond uct tha t secure consensus a nd a greement in communities of interpreta tion.12 Second ly, through a n a na lysis of the prod uction of novelty through pra ctices of resignifica tion (see Butler 1997). Any such pra ctice necessa rily negotia tes a field of a uthority rela tions, ca lling in turn for a n a na lysis of the cond itions tha t ena ble rela tions of a uthority in la ngua ge use to be prod uctively red irected .13 Wha t both of these possible d irections of a na lysis sha re is a n a pprecia tion of the constitutive movement of med ia tion a nd recontex tua liza tion through which a ny communica tive pra ctice pa sses. This suggests tha t a geogra phy of tex ts must be premised upon movement, spa cing a nd d ifference, ra ther tha n upon pla ce, id entity a nd conta inment. And a bove a ll, this implies a n a na lysis freed from a ssumptions of propriety tha t often continue to govern interpre- ta tion. Amongst other things, this form of a na lysis a ffirms cha nce a nd crea tivity, a nd in so d oing ma kes visible questions of responsibility: Our interpreta tions will not be rea d ings of a herme- neutic or ex egetic sort, but ra ther politica l interventions in the politica l rewriting of the tex t a nd its d estina tion. (Derrid a 1985b, 32) Acknowled gements I tha nk Murra y Low, Julie McLa ren a nd three a nonymous referees for their critica l comments on ea rlier d ra fts of this pa per. Notes 1 The d iscussions in Thrift (1994; 1996) provid e impor- ta nt ex ceptions to this genera l a bsence of conceptua l consid era tions of contex t. 2 The concern for the spa tia liza tion of concepts d irects a ttention to the d istinctive ima ges of spa ce tha t a rra nge ord ers of knowled ge a nd und ersta nd ing. See Fouca ult (1973) a nd , in geogra phy, Rose (1995b). 3 It is open to question whether the performa tive force of uttera nces or tex ts follows from correctly following a ccepted la id -d own norms of linguistic communities, or whether it is better thought of a s d eriving from the Clive Ba rnett ca pa city of uttera nces to brea k with contex ts, to a ssume new ones in a movement of a ppropria tion tha t reworks the economy of esta blished norms (see Butler 1997, 127-63). 4 Other Derrid ea n figures for this sense of constitutive med ia tion includ e tra ce, d issemina tion, supplement, itera bility, writing, mimesis, hymen, pha rma kon, sup- plement a nd d iffera nce. 5 This point is d emonstra ted forcefully by Sed gwick's (1990) a na lysis of the opera tions of mod ern heter- onorma tive pra ctices a nd systems of power (see a lso Fuss 1995). 6 It is worth noting tha t the rela tionship between speech-a ct theory a nd d econstruction is not a n oppo- sitiona l one, in spite of the na ture of the ex cha nge between Derrid a a nd John Sea rle (1977). Derrid a 's interruption of this tra d ition ha s genera ted new lines of inquiry into the conceptua liza tion a nd the politics of performa tivity (Ca vell 1995; Felma n 1983; Pa rker a nd Sed gwick 1995), a s a well a s a more genera l rea ssessment of the rela tions between so-ca lled 'Con- tinenta l' a nd 'Anglo-Sa x on' philosophica l tra d itions (Da senbrock 1989; Sta ten 1984). 7 See Low (1999) a nd Rose (1997) for a pplica tions of this line of thought in geogra phy. 8 For a rela ted d iscussion, see a lso Deleuze (1994). 9 It should be noted tha t Derrid a 's d eployment of d iffera nce works over themes of spa ce a nd time found in the phenomenologica l tra d ition, which a re d iscussed in d eta il in Strohma yer (1998). 10 For d econstruction, the 'tra ce' ma rks the pla ce for the a rriva l of the Other, which ca nnot be a nticipa ted or constituted in a n id entity without a red uction to the Sa me. 'Tra ce' therefore bund les up the three over- d etermined themes of the possibilities of mea ning, the ethica l rela tion to the Other a nd the opening of spa ce-time in the movement of tempora liza tion a nd spa cing (Derrid a 1976, 46-7). 11 For further d iscussion of a rticula tion a s a n a na lytic pra ctice, see Grossberg (1992). 12 For a na lyses of this sort, see Ba rnett (1996; 1998; 1999). 13 This pra ctice of resignifica tion is cha ra cteristic of post-colonia l litera ry writing. Perha ps the best ex a mple is the long history of a ppropria tions of The tempest in a va riety of geogra phica l a nd historica l contex ts. See Nix on (1987) a nd Za bus (1994). References Agnew J a nd Corbrid ge S 1995 Ma stering spa ce: hegemony, territory a nd interna tiona l politica l economy Routled ge, Lond on Austin J L 1962 How to d o things with word s Ox ford University Press, Ox ford Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a Ba rnes T J 1989 Pla ce, spa ce, a nd theories of economic va lue: contex tua lism a nd essentia lism in economic geogra phy Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 14 299-316 - 1994 Proba ble writing: Derrid a , d econstruction, a nd the qua ntita tive revolution in huma n geogra phy Environment a nd Pla nning A 26 1021-40 Ba rnes T J a nd Dunca n DS ed s 1992 Writing world s: d iscourse, tex t a nd meta phor in the representa tion of la nd sca pe Routled ge, Lond on Ba rnes T J a nd Gregory D ed s 1997 Rea d ing huma n geogra phy: the poetics a nd politics of inquiry Arnold , Lond on Ba rnett C 1996 'A choice of nightma res': na rra tion a nd d esire in 'Hea rt of d a rkness' Gend er, Pla ce a nd Culture 3 277-91 - 1998 Impure a nd world ly geogra phy: the Africa nist d iscourse of the Roya l Geogra phica l Society Tra nsa c- tions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 23 239-51 - 1999 Constructions of a pa rtheid in the interna tiona l reception of the novels of J M Coetzee Journa l of Southern Africa n Stud ies 25 2 287-301 Ba rthes R 1977 Ima ge-music-tex t Fonta na Press, Lond on Benja min W 1978 Reflections Shocken Books, New York Bennett T 1987 Tex ts in history: the d etermina tions of rea d ings a nd their tex ts in Attrid ge D Bennington G a nd Young R ed s Post-structura lism a nd the question of history Ca mbrid ge University Press, Ca mbrid ge 63-81 Bennington G 1989 Outsid e la ngua ge Ox ford Litera ry Review 11 189-212 - 1994 Legisla tions: the politics of d econstruction Verso, Lond on Bennington G a nd Derrid a J 1992 Ja cques Derrid a Univer- sity of Chica go Press, Chica go Bha bha H 1994 The loca tion of culture Routled ge, Lond on Bond i L a nd Domosh M 1992 Other figures in other pla ces: on feminism, postmod ernism a nd geogra phy Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 10 199-214 Butler J 1997 Ex cita ble speech: a politics of the performa tive Routled ge, New York Ca meron D1995 Verba l hygiene Routled ge, Lond on Ca sey E 1997 The fa te of pla ce University of Ca lifornia Press, Berkeley Ca stree N 1996 Invisible levia tha n: specula tions on Ma rx , Spiva k, a nd the question of va lue Rethinking Ma rx ism 9 2 45-78 Ca vell S 1995 Philosophica l pa ssa ges: Wittgenstein, Emerson, Austin, Derrid a Bla ckwell, Ox ford Cha ng B 1996 Deconstructing communica tion: representa - tion, subject, a nd economies of ex cha nge University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis Connolly W 1995 The ethos of plura liza tion University of Minnesota Press, Lond on Cox K R a nd Ma ir A 1989 Levels of a bstra ction in loca lity stud ies Antipod e 21 121-32 291 Cra ng P 1997 Cultura l turns a nd the (re)constitution of economic geogra phy in Lee R a nd Wills J ed s Geogra phies of economies Arnold , Lond on 3-15 Cresswell T 1996 Writing, rea d ing a nd problems of resista nce Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 21 420-24 Critchley S 1992 The ethics of d econstruction Bla ckwell, Ox ford Curry M 1996 The work in the world : geogra phica l pra ctice a nd the written world University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis Da senbrock R W ed 1989 Red ra wing the lines: a na lytic philosophy, d econstruction a nd litera ry theory University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis De Ma n P 1986 The resista nce to theory University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis -1989 Critica l writings 1953-1978 University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis - 1996 The epistemology of meta phor Critica l Inquiry 5 1 13-30 Dea r M 1988 The postmod ern cha llenge: reconstructing huma n geogra phy resista nce Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 13 262-74 Deleuze J 1994 Difference a nd repetition Athlone Press, Lond on Derrid a J 1973 Speech a nd phenomena Northwestern University Press, Eva nston IL - 1976 Of gra mma tology Johns Hopkins University Press, Ba ltimore MD - 1978a Spurs: Nietzche's styles University of Chica go Press, Chica go - 1978b The 'retra it' of meta phor Enclictic 2 2 5-33 - 1978c Writing a nd d ifference Routled ge, Lond on - 1979 Living on: bord er-lines in Bloom H De Ma n P Derrid a J Ha rtma n G a nd Miller J H ed s Deconstruc- tion a nd criticism Sea bury Press, New York 75-176 - 1981a Dissemina tion University of Chica go Press, Chica go - 1981b Positions University of Chica go Press, Chica go - 1982a Ma rgins of philosophy University of Chica go Press, Chica go - 1982b Send ing: on representa tion Socia l Resea rch 49 295-326 - 1984 Deconstruction a nd the other in Kea mey R ed Dia logues with contempora ry continenta l thinkers: the phenomenologica l herita ge University of Ma nchester Press, Ma nchester 107-26 - 1985a Des tours d e Ba bel in Gra ha m J F ed Difference in tra nsla tion Cornell University Press, Itha ca NY 165-248 - 1985b The ea r of the other: otiobiogra phy, tra nsference, tra nsla tion University of Nebra ska Press, Lincoln - 1986a But, beyond ... Critica l Inquiry 13 55-170 - 1986b Decla ra tions of ind epend ence New Politica l Science 15 7-16 - 1987 The postca rd University of Chica go Press, Chica go - 1988 Limited Inc Northwestern University Press, Eva nston IL 292 - 1989 Psyche: inventions of the Other in Wa ters L a nd God zich W ed s Rea d ing De Ma n rea d ing University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis 25-65 - 1990 Force of la w Ca rd ozo La w Review 11 5-6 920-1045 - 1992a Given time: 1. Counterfeit money University of Chica go Press, Chica go - 1992b The other hea d ing: reflections on tod a y's Europe Ind ia na University Press, Bloomington - 1993 Aporia s Sta nford University Press, Sta nford CA Dix on Da nd Jones J P 1998 My d inner with Derrid a , or spa tia l a na lysis a nd poststructura lism d o lunch Environment a nd Pla nning A 30 247-60 Doel M 1992 In sta lling d econstruction: striking out the postmod ern Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 10 163-80 1994 Deconstruction on the move: from libid ina l economy to limina l ma teria lism Environment a nd Pla nning A 26 1041-59 Driver F 1992 Geogra phy's empire: histories of geogra phica l knowled ge Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 10 23-56 Dunca n J 1990 The city a s tex t: the politics of la nd sca pe interpreta tion in the Ka nd yia n kingd om Ca mbrid ge University Press, Ca mbrid ge Dunca n J a nd Dunca n N 1988 (Re)rea d ing the la nd sca pe Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 6 117-26 -1992 Id eology a nd bliss: Rola nd Ba rthes a nd the secret histories of la nd sca pe in Ba rnes T J a nd Dunca n J S ed s Writing world s: d iscourse, tex t a nd meta phor in the representa tion of la nd sca pe Routled ge, Lond on 18-37 Felma n S 1983 The litera ry speech a ct: Don Jua n with J L Austin, or sed uction in two la ngua ges Cornell University Press, Itha ca NY Fouca ult M 1973 The birth of the clinic Routled ge, Lond on Fuss D1995 Insid e/outsid e in Ca ruth a nd Esch Ded s Critica l encounters: reference a nd responsibility in d econstructive writing Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick NY 233-40 Ga sche R 1986 The ta in of the mirror: Derrid a a nd the philosophy of reflection Ha rva rd University Press, Ca mbrid ge MA - 1994 Inventions of d ifference: on Ja cques Derrid a Ha rva rd University Press, Ca mbrid ge MA Genette G 1997 Pa ra tex ts: threshold s of interpreta tion Ca mbrid ge University Press, Ca mbrid ge Gibson-Gra ha m J K 1996 The end of ca pita lism Bla ckwell, Ox ford God lewska A a nd Smith N ed s 1994 Geogra phy a nd empire Bla ckwell, Ox ford Gregory D 1994 Geogra phica l ima gina tions Bla ckwell, Ox ford -1995 Between the book a nd the la mp: ima gina tive geogra phies of Egypt, 1849-50 Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 20 29-57 Grossberg L 1992 Articula tion a nd culture in Grossberg L We gotta get out of this pla ce: popula r conserva tism a nd postmod ern culture Routled ge, Lond on 37-67 Clive Ba rnett Ha rley J B 1992 Deconstructing the ma p in Ba rnes T J a nd Dunca n J S ed s Writing world s: d iscourse, tex t a nd meta phor in the representa tion of la nd sca pe Routled ge, Lond on 231-47 Ja ckson P 1999 Commod ity cultures: the tra ffic in things Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 24 1 95-108 La wlor L 1992 Ima gina tion a nd cha nce: the d ifference between the thought of Ricoeur a nd Derrid a Sta te University of New York Press, Alba ny Levina s E 1969 Tota lity a nd infinity Duquesne University Press, Pittsburgh PA Livingstone DN 1992 The geogra phica l tra d ition Bla ckwell, Ox ford - 1995 The spa ces of knowled ge: contributions towa rd s a historica l geogra phy of science Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 13 5-34 - 1998 Reprod uction, representa tion a nd a uthenticity: a re-rea d ing Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 23 13-20 Low M 1999 'Their ma sters' voice': communita ria nism, civic ord er, a nd politica l representa tion Environment a nd Pla nning A 31 87-111 Ma ssey D 1984 Spa tia l d ivisions of la bour Ma cmilla n, Lond on - 1995 Thinking ra d ica l d emocra cy spa tia lly Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 13 283-8 Ma yhew J 1994 Contex tua lizing pra ctice in huma n geogra phy Journa l of Historica l Geogra phy 20 323-8 - 1998 Wa s Willia m Sha kespea re a n eighteenth-century geogra pher? Constructing histories of geogra phi- ca l knowled ge Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 23 1 21-37 McDowell L 1991 The ba by a nd the ba thwa ter: d iversity, d econstruction a nd feminist theory in geogra phy Geoforum 22 123-33 Miller J H 1991 The critic a s host in Miller J H Theory then a nd now Ha rvester Whea tshea f, Lond on 143-70 - 1995 Topogra phies Sta nford University Press, Sta nford CA Mitchell D1996 Sticks a nd stones: the work of la nd sca pe Professiona l Geogra pher 48 94-6 Mouffe C 1995 Post-Ma rx ism: d emocra cy a nd id entity Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 13 259-66 Na ncy J L 1991 The inopera tive community University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis Na tter W 1995 Ra d ica l d emocra cy: hegemony, rea son, time a nd spa ce Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 13 267-74 Nix on R 1987 Ca ribbea n a nd Africa n a ppropria tions of 'The tempest' Critica l Inquiry 13 557-78 6 Tua tha il G 1994 (Dis)pla cing geopolitics: writing on the ma ps of globa l politics Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 12 525-46 - 1996 Critica l geopolitics University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis Deconstructing contex t: ex posing Derrid a Pa rker A a nd Sed gwick E ed s 1995 Performa tivity a nd performa nce Routled ge, New York Pa tton P 1996 Stra nge prox imity: 'Deleuze et Derrid a d a ns les pa ra ges d u concept' Ox ford Litera ry Review 18 117-33 Pecheux M 1982 La ngua ge, sema ntics a nd id eology Ma cmilla n, Lond on Peet R 1996 Discursive id ea lism in the 'la nd sca pe-is-tex t' school Professiona l Geogra pher 48 96-8 - 1998 Mod ern geogra phica l thought Bla ckwell, Ox ford Pile S 1994 Ma sculinism, the use of d ua listic epistemolo- gies a nd third spa ces Antipod e 26 255-77 Pra tt M L 1986a Id eology a nd speech-a ct theory Poetics Tod a y 7 59-72 - 1986b Interpreta tive stra tegies/stra tegic interpreta - tions: on Anglo-America n rea d er-response criticism in Ara c J ed Postmod ernism a nd politics Ma nchester University Press, Ma nchester 26-54 - 1987 Linguistic utopia s in Fa bb N Attrid ge DDura nt A a nd Ma cCa be C ed s The linguistics of writing: a rguments between la ngua ge a nd litera ture Ma nchester University Press, Ma nchester 49-66 Ra d cliffe S 1994 (Representing) post-colonia l women: a uthority, d ifference a nd feminisms Area 26 25-32 Reicha rt D1992 On bound a ries Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 10 87-98 Ricoeur P 1974 The conflict of interpreta tions Northwestern University Press, Eva nston IL -1981 Hermeneutics a nd the huma n sciences Ca mbrid ge University Press, Ca mbrid ge Rose G 1995a The interstitia l perspective: a review essa y of Homi Bha bha 's 'The loca tion of culture' Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 13 365-74 - 1995b Tra d ition a nd pa ternity: sa me d ifference? Tra nsa ctions of the Institute of British Geogra phers 20 414-16 - 1997 Performing inopera tive community in Pile S a nd Keith M ed s Geogra phies of resista nce Routled ge, Lond on 184-202 Routled ge P 1996 The third spa ce a s critica l enga gement Antipod e 28 399-419 Sa ck R 1997 Homo geogra phicus Johns Hopkins University Press, Ba ltimore MD Sa yer A 1989a Dua listic thinking a nd rhetoric in geogra - phy Area 21 301-5 - 1989b The new regiona l geogra phy a nd the problem of na rra tive Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 7 253-76 - 1991 Behind the loca lity d eba te: d econstructing geogra phy's d ua lisms Environment a nd Pla nning A 23 283-308 Sea rle J R 1977 Reitera ting the d ifferences: a reply to Derrid a Glyph I 198-208 Sed gwick E 1990 The epistemology of the closet University of Ca lifornia Press, Berkeley 293 Serres M 1982 The pa ra site Johns Hopkins University Press, Ba ltimore MD Smith N 1994 Geogra phy, empire a nd socia l theory Progress in Huma n Geogra phy 18 491-500 Smith N a nd Ka tz C 1993 Ground ing meta phor: towa rd s a spa tia lized politics in Pile S a nd Keith M ed s Pla ce a nd the politics of id entity Routled ge, Lond on 67-83 Soja E 1996 Third Spa ce Bla ckwell, Ox ford Spa rke M 1994 Writing on pa tria rcha l missiles: the cha u- vinism of the 'Gulf Wa r' a nd the limits of critique Environment a nd Pla nning A 1061-90 Spiva k G C 1988 Ca n the suba ltern spea k? in Nelson C a nd Grossberg L ed s Ma rx ism a nd the interpreta tion of culture Ma cmilla n Press, Lond on 271-313 - 1990 The postcolonia l critic Routled ge, Lond on Sta ten H 1984 Wittgenstein a nd Derrid a University of Nebra ska Press, Lincoln Stod d a rt DR 1981 Geogra phy, id eology, a nd socia l concern Bla ckwell, Ox ford Strohma yer U 1993 Beyond theory: the cumbersome ma teria lity of shock Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 11 323-48 - 1998 The event of spa ce: geogra phic a llusions in the phenomenologica l tra d ition Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 16 105-21 Strohma yer U a nd Ha nna h M 1992 Domestica ting postmod ernism Antipod e 24 131-40 Sunley P 1996 Contex t in economic geogra phy: the releva nce of pra gma tism Progress in Huma n Geogra phy 20 338-55 Thrift N 1983 On the d etermina tion of socia l a ction in spa ce a nd time Environment a nd Pla nning D: Society a nd Spa ce 1 23-57 - 1994 Ta king a im a t the hea rt of the region in Gregory DMa rtin R a nd Smith G ed s Huma n geogra phy: society, spa ce a nd socia l science Ma cmilla n, Lond on 200-31 - 1996 Spa tia l forma tions Sa ge, Lond on Wa isma nn F 1965 Notes on ta lks with Wittgenstein Philosophica l Review 74 1 12-16 Weber S 1989 Institution a nd interpreta tion University of Minnesota Press, Minnea polis Wigley M 1993 The a rchitecture of d econstruction MIT Press, Ca mbrid ge MA Young I M 1990 Justice a nd the politics of d ifference Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ - 1997 Communica tion a nd the other: beyond d elibera - tive d emocra cy in Young I M Intersecting voices: d ilem- ma s of gend er, politica l philosophy, a nd policy Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 60-74 Za bus C 1994 Prospero's progeny curses ba ck: post- colonia l, postmod ern, a nd postpa tria rcha l rewritings of 'The tempest' in D'ha en T a nd Bertens H ed s Limina l postmod erns Rod olphi, Amsterd a m 115-38
(Suny Series in Latin American and Iberian Thought and Culture) Jorge J. E. Gracia-Images of Thought_ Philosophical Interpretations of Carlos Estevez's Art-State University of New York Press (2009).pdf