Ranciere, Derrida, and Egalitarian Politics in Pseudo-Dionysius

Using the work of Jacques Ranciere, I argue for an egalitarian reading of the political hierarchy in Pseudo-Dionysius. I first analyze various historical attempts to derive a political theory from Pseudo-Dionysius in the work of Juan Miguel Garrigues, Rene Roques, and Dominic O'Meara. I then turn to Jacques Derrida's attempt to distinguish deconstruction from negative theology, and consider especially the political effects of this strategy. I argue that Derrida's attempt to undermine Psuedo-Dionysius's system from within is unsuccessful, and suggest instead that Ranciere provides the conceptual tools to identify an egalitarianism within Dionysian political theory