Broken Tablets: Levinas, Derrida, and the Literary Afterlife of Religion

Over thirty years, Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida conversed across texts about the interrelation of philosophy, religion and literature. In Broken Tablets Sarah Hammerschlag traces that conversation and argues for its political significance. Highlighting the role that Judaism played in their relationship, and how the two philosophers differed on its legacy, she not only provides a new account of the friendship, she discloses its significant ramifications for current debates within Continental philosophy, the study of religion and political theology.

Over thirty years, Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida conversed across texts about the interrelation of philosophy, religion and literature. In Broken Tablets, Sarah Hammerschlag traces that conversation and argues for its political significance, highlighting the role that Judaism played in their relationship.