Readings of Emmanuel Lévinas, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Simone Weil: Abstract Universalism and Details about the African World

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2009

Author

Bidima, Jean-Godefroy

Journal

Forum for Modern Language Studies

Volume

45

Number

2

Pages

188-199

Language

English

Keywords

Lévinas, Emmanuel
colonialism
Derrida, Jacques
Merleau-Ponty, Maurice
politics
social (societal)

Annotation

Bidima looks at the relationship between philosophy and the state in France by examining the writing about colonialism in the work of Lévinas, Merleau-Ponty and Weil, especially in light of more recent anthropological and sociological work. Bidima is interested particularly in contrasting the abstract humanism of these philosophers to the specific implications of their thought for countries under colonial occupation. The article concludes with a brief discussion of Jacques Derrida's work, highlighting some of his inconsistencies in his writing on colonialism.