The apories of hospitality in Jacques Derrida

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of hospitality in the work of Jacques Derrida. We will present a specific interpretation of Derrida's philosophy as a whole, that aims to enlighten his thoughts on hospitality. Then we characterize Derrida's proposal, highlighting the aporetical dynamic between the unconditional or absolute hospitality and conditional hospitality, as well as its link to the topic of the gift. At the same time, we try to distinguish it from the classical conception of hospitality often understood as tolerance. Finally, we will address some aspects of Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus at Colonus that serve to illustrate certain characters that appear in Derrida's concept of hospitality.