Spectres of the Uncanny: the ‘return of the repressed

Jacques Derrida's Specters of Marx detected “hauntological” elements not only in Marx' thinking, but also in that of his philosophical opponent, Max Stirner. Both were shown to be engaged in a “ghost hunt” for the specters of idealism that alienated modern consciousness. Crucial to this account is the notion of the uncanny—the strange, terrifying effect resulting when something familiar becomes strange. Derrida, however, neglects the Freudian meaning of the uncanny as a “return of the repressed.” Consequently, its radical implications are lost. This logic of the uncanny, as a return of the repressed, is fundamental to both Marx' and Stirner's…