Other and Hospitality as the Foundation of Intercultural Literacy

In intercultural literacy, sensitivity and recognition of differences with other cultures are important elements. Levinas is known as a philosopher who fundamentally thought about the meaning of the other in Western philosophy. From the perspective of otherness, which has a subversive meaning for modern subjectivity, Levinas’ ethics of the other seems appropriate for thinking about interculturality. However, the following questions also arise. Namely, is ethics of the other appropriate for discussing collective identity such as culture, and is transcendental argument appropriate for discussing intercultural reality based on place and further, the relationship between ethics and politics? This article examines the interculturalistic implications of Levinas’ ethics of the other focusing on the concepts of face and hospitality. As Derrida points out, Levinas’ concept of face implies the concept of hospitality, which is important in interculturalism. However, the transcendence of face seems to have certain limitations in thinking about realistic place and collective identity. This article examines the discussions of Derrida and Dussel on this point. Derrida persistently examines the aspect of “a transcendence in immanence” that Levinas’ face and the concept of hospitality have, and it can be seen as a suggestive work in light of the spatial nature and political implications of the concept of hospitality. In addition, this article examines Dussel’s interculturalism, which criticizes Western-centrism and philosophically presents the voices of the Third World, especially Latin America, through Levinas’ concept of the other. Through Derrida's supplement and Dussel’s interpretation of Levinas, I would like to examine more deeply the interculturality and power-critical moment of Levinas’ ethics of the other.