Fichu(s) : Animals between Adorno and Derrida

In his 2001 Theodor W. Adorno Prize speech, ‘Fichus’, Jacques Derrida imagines a book on the German philosopher that he would never have the opportunity to write. Its last chapter would concern animals, which for Derrida constitute the most important future direction in reading Adorno. This article takes this moment as its point of departure to suggest that among the many threads that connect deconstruction with critical theory, the question of the animal takes on central significance. Reconsidering ‘Fichus’ as a reflection on the responsibilities of thinking about and after the end, I argue that for both philosophers, animals point to an alternative form of thought, one that is not only concerned but imbued with finitude. Non-coercive and anti-totalitarian, it is a thinking without ends, a form of contemplation that arises from and in response to other animals but is not limited to them. Reading Adorno and Derrida through, with, and after each other, I interpret ‘Fichus’ as an exercise in such poetic thinking, exploring its implications in and beyond Derrida’s speech.