Positions is a collection of three interviews with Jacques Derrida that
illuminate and make more accessible the complex concepts and terms
treated extensively in such works as Writing and Difference and
Dissemination. Derrida takes positions on his detractors, his
supporters, and the two major preoccupations of French intellectual
life, Marxism and psychoanalysis.
The interviews included in this volume offer a multifaceted view of
Derrida. "Implications: Interview with Henri Ronse" contains a succinct
statement of principles. "Seminology and Grammatology: Interview with
Julia Kristeva" provides important clarifications of the role played by
linguistics in Derrida's work. "Positions: Interview with Jean-Louis
Houdebine and Guy Scarpetta" is a wide-ranging discussion that touches
on many of the polemics that Derrida's work has provoked.
Alan Bass, whose translation of Writing and Difference was highly
praised for its clarity, accuracy, and readability, has provided
extremely useful critical notes, full of vital information, including
historical background.