Review - Jeremy Ahearne, Michel de Certeau: interpretation and its other

Authors

Ian Buchanan, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

63338

Publication Details

Buchanan, I. 1996, 'Review of Jeremy Ahearne, Michel de Certeau: interpretation and its other', Social Semiotics, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 147-155.

Abstract

For reasons I cannot begin to fathom, this is the first book on de Certeau to be published in English (there have of course been several published in French). While Polity is to be congratulated for its vision, I do wonder why it has taken so long. Does the delay tell us anything? Perhaps it says the importance of de Certeau's work has only just been recognised; or, more likely, it says the importance of de Certeau's work is still to be recognised. At any rate, my hope is that now the floodgate has been prised open this tiniest bit, a great many more studies will follow. In the meantime though, Ahearne provides us with plenty to be getting on with. And as it is the first, and is likely to be very influential because of it, I want to engage with the overall image1 of de Certeau's thought that Ahearne presents, not the details.