The (im)possibility of communication

This paper addresses the question of communication from a perspective opened up by Derrida’s reading of Joyce’s Ulysses in terms of the relationship between the notion of the ‘yes’ or iterability, the signature of (and counter-signature to) a text and two types of laughter. It is shown that the sam...

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Main Author: Bert Olivier
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Johannesburg 2022-10-01
Series:Communicare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1783
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author Bert Olivier
author_facet Bert Olivier
author_sort Bert Olivier
collection DOAJ
description This paper addresses the question of communication from a perspective opened up by Derrida’s reading of Joyce’s Ulysses in terms of the relationship between the notion of the ‘yes’ or iterability, the signature of (and counter-signature to) a text and two types of laughter. It is shown that the same aporia that confronts the reader of Ulysses, namely that a counter-signature to the text is possible as a novel event and is simultaneously not possible as such, faces participants in communication: communication is and is not possible. The work of Hardt and Negri is further used to add another dimension to this aporia, this time focusing on the paradox of living in a so-called ‘age of communication’, while certain events of resistance to the agencies of global hegemony are incommunicable.
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series Communicare
spelling doaj-art-136129b93d544bd78002001b55d909642025-01-20T08:51:23ZengUniversity of JohannesburgCommunicare0259-00692957-79502022-10-0123110.36615/jcsa.v23i1.1783The (im)possibility of communicationBert Olivier0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3138-1948Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University This paper addresses the question of communication from a perspective opened up by Derrida’s reading of Joyce’s Ulysses in terms of the relationship between the notion of the ‘yes’ or iterability, the signature of (and counter-signature to) a text and two types of laughter. It is shown that the same aporia that confronts the reader of Ulysses, namely that a counter-signature to the text is possible as a novel event and is simultaneously not possible as such, faces participants in communication: communication is and is not possible. The work of Hardt and Negri is further used to add another dimension to this aporia, this time focusing on the paradox of living in a so-called ‘age of communication’, while certain events of resistance to the agencies of global hegemony are incommunicable. https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1783communicationJoyce’s UlyssesDerrida’s readingHardt and Negriaporiaglobal hegemony
spellingShingle Bert Olivier
The (im)possibility of communication
Communicare
communication
Joyce’s Ulysses
Derrida’s reading
Hardt and Negri
aporia
global hegemony
title The (im)possibility of communication
title_full The (im)possibility of communication
title_fullStr The (im)possibility of communication
title_full_unstemmed The (im)possibility of communication
title_short The (im)possibility of communication
title_sort im possibility of communication
topic communication
Joyce’s Ulysses
Derrida’s reading
Hardt and Negri
aporia
global hegemony
url https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1783
work_keys_str_mv AT bertolivier theimpossibilityofcommunication
AT bertolivier impossibilityofcommunication