Etymology: A neologism attributed to the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, “hauntology” is an Anglicized version of the French term hantologie, which was a central concept in Derrida’s 1993 book, Specters of Marx: The State of the Debt, the Work of Mourning and the New International. It combines the French verb hanter, to haunt, with the Greek suffix –logie, which refers to any logical discourse. It is crucial to recognize Derrida’s play on words here: In French, hantologie, with its silent This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Eight Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 51 WORD: CRINGE A foray into the awkward. Arts & Culture Issue 50 Word: Dupe On the next best thing. Arts & Culture Issue 49 Word: Zeitgeber A new treatise on time. Arts & Culture Issue 48 Word: Kaloprosopia A word that celebrates the masks we wear. Arts & Culture Issue 47 Word: Döstädning A Swedish solution to the mess of death. Arts & Culture Issue 46 Word: Wintering When to withdraw from the world.
