On the Duty to Host in International Law: Jacques Derrida and Political Literature

Abstract

Jacques Derrida’s politics of hospitality explores the tension and interdependency that exist between hosts and guests. This article uses Derrida’s idea of hospitality and attempts to understand how it applies to the 21st century refugee crisis in the context of human displacement, state of refugee and immigration. We turn to the help of fiction as a critical tool in scrutinizing current political discourses. Specifically, we offer an analysis of J.M Coetzee’s novel Disgrace in light of Derrida’s theme of hospitality. Coetzee – who was awarded the Nobel Prize – presents a vivid portrait of post-apartheid South Africa that offers a contradictory perspective to Nelson Mandela’s vision of democracy in South Africa. His novel suggests that the inherent violence of colonialism can neither be resolved nor dissolved merely by expressions of regret and forgiveness. By extension, we ask if liberal democracies and international humanitarian law can offer a policy of hospitality that is both morally anchored and practical.