Geschlecht III: Sex, Race, Nation, Humanity

by Jacques Derrida

A significant event in Derrida scholarship, this book marks the first publication of his long-lost philosophical text known only as “Geschlecht III.” The third, and arguably the most significant, piece in his four-part Geschlecht series, it fills a gap that has perplexed Derrida scholars. The series centers on Martin Heidegger and the enigmatic German word Geschlecht, which has several meanings pointing to race, sex, and lineage. Throughout the series, Derrida engages with Heidegger’s controversial oeuvre to tease out topics of sexual difference, nationalism, race, and humanity. In Geschlecht III, he calls attention to Heidegger’s problematic nationalism, his work’s political and sexual themes, and his promise of salvation through the coming of the “One Geschlecht,” a sentiment that Derrida found concerningly close to the racial ideology of the Nazi party.

Amid new revelations about Heidegger’s anti-Semitism and the contemporary context of nationalist resurgence, this third piece of the Geschlecht series is timelier and more necessary than ever. Meticulously edited and expertly translated, this volume brings Derrida’s mysterious and much awaited text to light.
 

Genres: Philosophy

168 pages, Hardcover

Published March 23, 2020

About the author

Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher best known for developing deconstruction, a method of critical analysis that questioned the stability of meaning in language, texts, and Western metaphysical thought. Born in Algeria, he studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he was influenced by philosophers such as Heidegger, Husserl, and Levinas. His groundbreaking works, including Of Grammatology (1967), Writing and Difference (1967), and Speech and Phenomena (1967), positioned him at the center of intellectual debates on language, meaning, and interpretation.
Derrida argued that Western philosophy was structured around binary oppositions—such as speech over writing, presence over absence, or reason over emotion—that falsely privileged one term over the other. He introduced the concept of différance, which suggests that meaning is constantly deferred and never fully present, destabilizing the idea of fixed truth. His work engaged with a wide range of disciplines, including literature, psychoanalysis, political theory, and law, challenging conventional ways of thinking and interpretation.
Throughout his career, Derrida continued to explore ethical and political questions, particularly in works such as Specters of Marx (1993) and The Politics of Friendship (1994), which addressed democracy, justice, and responsibility. He held academic positions at institutions such as the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales and the University of California, Irvine, and remained an influential figure in both European and American intellectual circles. Despite criticism for his complex writing style and abstract concepts, Derrida’s ideas have left a lasting impact on contemporary philosophy, literary theory, and cultural criticism, reshaping the way meaning and language are understood in the modern world.

Reviews

[isabela baldini · Rating 4 out of 5]

nas palavras do piero: "aiiiiiii chatoooo"

[Júlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

já estou com saudades...

[Mohamedridha Alaskari محمد رضا العسكري · Rating 3 out of 5]

عكف جاك دريدا على ترجمة كلمة (غشلخت) الالمانية الى معنى مفهوم ومنطقي الا انه واجه مشاكل جمة بهذا الصدد كون هذه الكلمة تحتوي على مضامين كثيرة لذلك فهو اسس لها سلسلة من ٤ اجزاء لترجمتها وطرحها للبحث، ويعود استخدام هذه الكلمة للفيلسوف الوجودي مارتن هيدگر.

هذا هو الكتاب الثالث من السلسلة الرباعية التي كتبها دريدا ونشرت بعد وفاته ويتناول هذا الجزء "الغشلخت الثالث" البُعد السياسي-الجنسي ومفهوم الجماعة اللذان يشكلان محور بحثه، ويعتبر هذا البحث هو اعادة للتفكير في جنسانية اكثر حذرية وعمق من المنظور الثنائي للجنس.

وفي الختام اود ان اشير الى ان لفضة غشلخت تتعذر ترجمتها او اختزالها بكلمة واحدة كونها تتعلق بالوقت نفسه بـ(الجنس، و العِرق، والوطن، والإنسانية) وهذه المقولات التي سعى دريدا الى الكشف عنها في اعمال هايدگر

[Egor xS · Rating 5 out of 5]

À peine ai-je su que je pourrais verser des larmes en lisant un texte sur le destin de l'Occident, compris comme le réveil de notre race dans sa mission historique (sérieusement ! Que voulait-cela dire ? ): le retour à la patrie, dans la terre authentique, en redécouvrant la vraie nature, l’engendrement (génétique, genre). La promesse d'un retour vers la pureté de la race, salut de la dégénérescence, uniquement grâce à la sort spirituelle de l'Allemagne, et, notamment, à la différence sexuelle sans agonie.

Délicate et émouvante à la fois est cette lecture de « Die Sprache im Gedicht: Eine Erörterung von Georg Trakls Gedicht » par Martin Heidegger de 1953. Deux pensées inimitables consacrées à un poète autrichien du debut du XXe siècle, génial quant à lui. La tendre et subtile proximité aux problématiques et aux discours du pire, qui sont mis au près, même précipités d'un abîme aussi très tranchant, rend cette interprétation encore plus poignante.

Depuis à peu près plus d'une décennie que j'avais lu les Geschlecht IV, puis I et II, cette découverte est enfin providentielle, sinon destinale.

[Farouk Adil · Rating 4 out of 5]

أحد أهم اعمال الفيلسوف الفرنسي جاك دريدا التي تتناول فكر الفيلسوف الالماني مارتن هايدغر .وصدرت عن دار الكتاب الجديد.