This introduction explores the work of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) both chronologically and systematically. It follows Derrida's intellectual journey from his early texts on grammatology through the intermediate phase of his excursions between philosophy and literature, to the ethical and political ideas of his later work, while simultaneously addressing a number of key themes that mark this journey. The philosophical, ethical, and political foundations of deconstruction are discussed, as well as its peculiar position in the theoretical field between the linguistic turn, psychoanalysis, structuralism, post-structuralism, and critical theory. The work of one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century is made accessible in a new way with this introduction.