Jacques Derrida’s Concept of Deconstruction in the Works of Chinese Marxist Scholars

The article examines the complex perception of Chinese Marxist scholars of Jacques Derrida’s concept of deconstruction, which is characterized by contrasting evaluations ranging from admiration to harsh criticism. The methodology is based on the standpoint of historical-philosophical reconstruction and comparative analysis. Firstly, it presents the formation of the study of Derrida’s deconstruction concept in mainland China starting in the 1980s (Xu Chongwen, Wang Ning, Ye Xiushan, Wang Fengzhen, Wang Zhongyong, Sheng Ning, Zhang Qiqun, Wang Yuechuan, Fang Sheng, Ceng Yanbing, Zheng Min). It is noted that in the late 1980s and 1990s, these works were primarily included in overview studies of Western philosophy and literary studies. In the same period, the work on the translation of Derrida’s original texts into Chinese began. Next, the paper presents the trends directions of Derridean research in mainland China. The most fundamental is the analysis of the deconstruction of philosophy and metaphysics, within which the systematic study of Derrida’s philosophy in mainland China was initiated (Zhang Longxi, Wang Yichuan, Yu Hong, Zhang Shouying, Bai Yanxia, Zheng Min, Shang Jie, Zhou Rongsheng, Zhu Gang, Fang Xianghong, Cai Xinle, Lu Yang, Chen Xiaoming, Wang Qingfeng, Dai Dengyun, Li Weixue, Meng Xianqing, Li Tianpeng). Two main definitions of Derridaʼs deconstruction were formed by Chinese Marxist scholars: 1) a nihilistic approach that denies structure and meaning; 2) a humanistic theory emphasizing the importance of life and the unconscious. The comparative analysis of Chinese Marxist scholars is primarily aimed at comparing Derrida’s concept of deconstruction with the ideas of Rousseau, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Saussure, Levinas (Yang Geng, Lu Yang, Hu Jihua, Zhao Yifan, Li Honghong, Li Yongyi). Derridaʼs deconstruction became the basis for criticism of the metaphysical foundations of ethics, political science, jurisprudence and aesthetics by Chinese Marxist scholars (Yin Shuguang, Feng Jun, Chen Xueming, Ren Ping, Li Zhen, Zhao Tiancheng, Li Juanfen, Shang Jie, Ou Yangying, Zhang Ning, Yue Liang, Fang Xianghong, Gao Xuanyang, Huang Qihong, Yuan Xianlai, Zhang Zhendong). It is shown that the specificity of studies on Derrida’s deconstruction concept in China is determined by the intellectual, cultural and political contexts. The reception of Derrida’s deconstruction by Chinese intellectuals demonstrates the possibility of adapting Western ideas within different cultural traditions.