The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida's Haunt Book

"The many ever unexpected twists and turns of the dancing deconstructivist...give the book its meaning. It is the 'insistent indirectness' of the argument which is impresive. The current architectural discourse is not so much rejuvenated by it, as rediscovered in all its magnitude and profundity... the ethical and political engagement of this text is never far to seek. Experiencing this intoxicating dance is a real delight, and that in itself vouches for its merit. This text is warmly recommended to architects, philosophers and to everyone else." -- Geert Bekaert, Archis Magazine

Nowhere, Mark Wigley asserts, are the stakes higher for deconstruction than in architecture -- architecture is the Achilles' heel of deconstructive discourse, the point of vulnerability upon which all of its arguments depend. By locating the architecture already hidden within deconstructive discourse, Wigley opens up more radical possibilities for both architecture and deconstruction. He tracks the tacit argument about architecture embedded within Jacques Derrida's discourse, a curious line of argument that passes through each of the philosopher's texts, provocatively turning Derrida's reading strategy back on his texts to expose the architectural dimension of their central notions like law, economy, writing, place, domestication, translation, spacing, laughter, and dance.