Ricoeur and the Post-Structuralists: Bourdieu, Derrida, Deleuze, Foucault,

In this important and original book, Johann Michel paves the way for a greater understanding of Paul Ricoeur's philosophy by exploring it in relation to some major figures of contemporary French thought-Bourdieu, Derrida, Deleuze, Foucault and Castoriadis.

Although the fertile dialogue between Ricoeur and various structuralist thinkers is well documented, his position in relation to the post-structuralist movement is less-widely understood. Does Ricoeur's philosophy stand in opposition to post-structuralism in France or, on the contrary, is it in fact a unique variation of that movement? This book defends the latter statement. Michel speaks of post-structuralisms in the plural form and engages them in a dynamic confrontation between Ricoeur and his contemporaries in the French intellectual scene. The result is a better understanding of Ricoeur's thought and also of the distinctive issues that emerge through confrontation between Ricoeur and each of these post-structuralist thinkers.

Johann Michel is a University Professor at the University of Poitiers and is affiliated with the EHESS (IMM) in Paris. He is a member of the scientific council of the Fonds Ricoeur and is a co-editor of the international journal Ricoeur Studies. He is also a member of the Institut Universitaire de France.