Jacques Derrida

Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) was a French philosopher, born in El-Biar near Algiers and deceased in Paris. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure and taught first at the Sorbonne, later serving as professor of the history of philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure. From 1983, he was also research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. Derrida is regarded as the founder and leading representative of deconstruction. His thinking on signs, text, and writing had a major influence on contemporary philosophy and literary studies. His best-known works include Of Grammatology, Writing and Difference, and Speech and Phenomena, all published in 1967. During his military service in Algeria, he taught English and French.