Déconstruction et critique sociale : Derrida lecteur d'Althusser

This contribution explores Derrida's complex relationship with Althusser's work. It seeks to show how Derrida built on certain aspects of Althusser's work, particularly his internal critique of rigid forms of Marxism, while distancing himself from those more concerned with his relationship to science — specifically Althusser's attempt to promote a new science of history. This discussion, which sometimes took the form of a subtle game of 'positions', initially focused on the theme of ideology. Ultimately, however, it reveals itself to be the bearer of major political issues, such as the way in which social critique should be envisaged, or the place that the motif of exploitation might still occupy in it.