The Reception (in Sociology) of Recent French Social Theorists

Over the last two decades sociology’s theoretical agenda has been highly impacted by a range of influences including the work or a range of recent French theorists. Some of the key sociologically relevant points of Derrida’s writings are described and their relative impact on sociology and intellectual life more generally are examined in relation to the broader array of French theorists. The exegetical literature is referenced to identify some of the mechanisms by which some theorists have a more widespread impact, and how different intellectual communities inter-relate with each other.