Review by Choice Review
Beginning from the position that 21st-century academic fields focus on "studies" as opposed to the 20th-century theory movement, Di Leo (English and philosophy, Univ. of Houston, Victoria) has gathered an array of scholars to counter reports of the death of theory and to focus on how the deaths of the theorists may have altered understanding of the theories. The 11 contributions are divided into three parts. The first part (three essays) focuses on Jacques Derrida's legacy, as seen through those conceived as the heirs of his theory. The first essay in this section plots that legacy through a multiplicity of disciplines, looking at the ways in which those traditional disciplines become interdisciplinary through the theory; the remaining two essays chart, respectively, the so-called death of theory through the Cold War and the subsequent resurgence of theory. The four essays in part 2, "Derrida, Death, Theory," present Derrida's theoretical work on death, arguing for the ongoing importance of theory; the four essays in part 3, "Politics, Death, Theory," continue the discussion through politics to posthumanism. This engaging work features consistently clear writing by many top scholars. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. --Janet Donohoe, University of West Georgia
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
