The paper intends to account for the mutual influences between Jacques Derrida and Nicole Loraux. Indeed, the latter constitutes a fundamental point of reference for the deconstruction of the idea of autochthony that Derrida undertook starting with Politiques de l’amitié (1994). Through the unpublished seminar Nationalités et nationalismes philosophiques (1985-86), it is possible to recognize in the theme of Greekautochthony, rooted in the repression of sexual reproduction, the matrix of another Derrida’s text, namely Chōra (1993), in which Loraux is only mentioned in passing. Only in the light of this seminar, in which Loraux is quoted extensively, is it possible to understand that the interpretation of the Timaeus’ «chōra» is functional to the deconstruction of the ghost of autochthony at the heart of all forms of nationalism. For her part, in Le retour de l'exclu (1994), Loraux will acknowledge her debt to Derrida for her reading of Plato, and in particular for her distinction between «Platonism» and «Platonic text», allowing her to offer an unconventional reading of the theme of the «chōra» in Plato.
"La Race des fammes". Khora entre Ncole Loraux et Jacques Derrida
Francesco VITALE
2026
Abstract
The paper intends to account for the mutual influences between Jacques Derrida and Nicole Loraux. Indeed, the latter constitutes a fundamental point of reference for the deconstruction of the idea of autochthony that Derrida undertook starting with Politiques de l’amitié (1994). Through the unpublished seminar Nationalités et nationalismes philosophiques (1985-86), it is possible to recognize in the theme of Greekautochthony, rooted in the repression of sexual reproduction, the matrix of another Derrida’s text, namely Chōra (1993), in which Loraux is only mentioned in passing. Only in the light of this seminar, in which Loraux is quoted extensively, is it possible to understand that the interpretation of the Timaeus’ «chōra» is functional to the deconstruction of the ghost of autochthony at the heart of all forms of nationalism. For her part, in Le retour de l'exclu (1994), Loraux will acknowledge her debt to Derrida for her reading of Plato, and in particular for her distinction between «Platonism» and «Platonic text», allowing her to offer an unconventional reading of the theme of the «chōra» in Plato.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
