Reorienting Deconstruction: Researching the Iterability of the Pedagogical Mark

• In Event: Alterity, Others, and Teaching

Abstract

Abstract
Iterability has been an underused term in much of the writing on deconstruction in educational theory, whereas it is vital in Jacques Derrida’s pedagogy of deconstruction. I demonstrate how this disparity has tended to preclude a broader conception of Derrida’s import for education. Specifically, I challenge three claims that I suggest have stemmed from a diminished place for iterability in educational theoretical discourse: 1) the student’s radical hermeneutic autonomy, 2) the centrality of a student’s understanding along with misunderstanding in Derrida’s pedagogical theory, and 3) iterability’s efficacy being its subversive, long-term potential. I then suggest iterability’s oft overlooked potential for reorienting educational research questions regarding educational purposes, outcomes, applications, and disciplinary distinctions.

Keywords: deconstruction, iterability, Derrida, educational theory

Author

• Harvey Shapiro, Northeastern University