Here is the fourth reading post on L’université sans condition (2001), translated into English in 2002 as The University Without Condition.
The previous ones have been gathered with my other Substack writings on Derrida, which you can find here: Derrida.
Derrida begins this chapter by questioning the meaning of “work” (travail). This is a very interesting question. When and where does “work” occur? For Derrida, delving into this question leads to far-reaching conclusions, but he notes two things of interest regarding work in the context of a university.
It is Not Paid
First of all, “work” refers to a paid action or practice. Many people act or practice something in a university context, but not all of them can be called workers. In order to talk about an activity as “work,” a salary is needed. Derrida writes:
It is therefore possible to work hard without being recognized as a worker in society. (Derrida, 2001, p. 38)
Returning to the context of university life, it is easy to consider the “work” carried out by students as being overlooked. Some are very dedicated to their studies, while others are contributing to high-level research. Yet, in many cases, they do not receive a salary and we would not refer to them as “workers” unless they have a proper contract.
There is No Result
Second, there are many whose activities are not considered work due to the nature of the results of their efforts. He explains:
It would often be difficult to identify and objectify the product of the very hard work carried out by the most indispensable and dedicated workers, the least well treated in society, and also the most invisible (…). (Derrida, 2001, p. 39)
We all know people who work hard at things that are neither material nor easily noticeable. This is true of scavengers, as Derrida rightly pointed out. The same applies to volunteers. People who help at food banks every day, for example, may not be considered workers.
Not everyone who works hard at something is considered a “worker” or produces “work.” How can we apply these reflections to understand the meaning of work in a university context?
It is All About Knowledge
According to Derrida, a university is a place for producing and teaching “knowledge” (savoir). Therefore, the work of a university professor is performative
To arrive at a definition of this particular type of performative action that is the act of professing, and then the act of professing by a professor, and finally by a professor in the humanities, we must continue our analysis of the distinctions between acting, doing, producing, working, work in general, and the work of the worker. (Derrida, 2001, p. 47)
Of course, Derrida did not reach this view without some digressions — on Kant for instance — and he continues with more. The important point is that this leads him to consider that work presupposes, engages, and situates a “living body” (corps vivant).
It is important to note that, when Derrida wrote these pages, the question of the “body” had already become a major topic in phenomenological research, as evidenced by the work of authors such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Michel Henry, Simone de Beauvoir, and Emmanuel Levinas. Therefore, it is not surprising to see Derrida talking about the “living body.” For him, the who that is working is the living body.
And Today?
Despite the fact that he says nothing about it, this point may lead us to say that machines do not “work” in this sense. They merely function, meaning they accomplish a specific task without being paid for it, without any “contractual” dimension. Moreover, according to this view, it would not be possible to consider robots or artificial intelligence as working. The former function and the latter process, but neither work.
The French philosopher also notes that not all work is organized by profession. A profession requires more than just a type of social organization for an occupation; it requires “permanence” and “social responsibility.”
That is why, in French, we refer to the profession of a doctor or lawyer. It implies a responsibility that is freely accepted. To profess is to undertake a specific kind of duty.
The idea of a profession implies that, beyond knowledge, know-how, and competence, a testimonial commitment, freedom, sworn responsibility, and pledged faith oblige the subject to be accountable to a defined authority. Finally, those who practice a profession are not all teachers. We must therefore take into account these sometimes blurred distinctions: between work, activity, production, trade, profession, teacher, between the teacher who imparts knowledge or professes a doctrine and the teacher who can also, as such, sign works — which may already be the case or may be so in the future. To arrive at the definition of this particular type of performative action that is the act of teaching, and then the act of teaching by a teacher, and finally by a teacher in the Humanities, we must continue our analysis of the distinctions between acting, doing, producing, working, work in general, and the work of the worker. (Derrida, 2001, p. 50)
Next time, we will begin reading the third chapter of the text together. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to support such a reading.