Deconstruction Texts - Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, A Critique of Postcolonial Reason (1999)

This Bible of postcolonial theory also includes lots of interesting engagements with Derrida's work. Spivak's writing isn't for the faint of heart, it's true. But if you want to see how Deconstruction gets applied outside traditional textual criticism, then she's the theorist for you.

Plus, she's just generally rad. Trust us, as you consider these questions:

  1. Why, according to Spivak, is Derridean theory more helpful to the postcolonial critic than other kinds of French theory?
  2. What do you think Spivak means by "The Setting to Work of Deconstruction"? (See her Critique's Appendix for clues.)