Prodigiously influential, Jacques Derrida gave rise to a comprehensive
rethinking of the basic concepts and categories of Western philosophy in
the latter part of the twentieth century, with writings central to our
understanding of language, meaning, identity, ethics and values.
In 1993, a conference was organized around the question, 'Whither
Marxism?', and Derrida was invited to open the proceedings. His plenary
address, 'Specters of Marx', delivered in two parts, forms the basis of
this book. Hotly debated when it was first published, a rapidly changing
world and world politics have scarcely dented the relevance of this
book.