Derrida identified himself as an uprooted African born in colonial Algeria

Evidence

Derrida was speaking there of “movements of deconstruction” and of “decolonization.” At this particular moment, Derrida says that he speaks “without demagogic facility or conventional deference toward my hosts”; rather, he speaks as a sort of uprooted Mrican, comme cette sorte d ‘Aftican deracine que je suis, “born in Algiers in a environment about which it will always be difficult to say whether it was colonizing or colonized.” — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 257

At this particular moment, Derrida says that he speaks “without demagogic facility or conventional deference toward my hosts”; rather, he speaks as a sort of uprooted Mrican, comme cette sorte d ‘Aftican deracine que je suis, “born in Algiers in a environment about which it will always be difficult to say whether it was colonizing or colonized.” One could affirm, therefore, and with good reason, that Derrida’s “primary identity,” the “Judeo-Algerian,” was inscribed and delivered to us by Derrida himself. — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 257

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes Derrida’s own primary self-description as ‘Judeo-Algerian,’ an identity arising from the undecidable colonial/colonized status of his birthplace.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab: A History of the…, 257