Between Signs and Non-signs

Book excerpt: The Italian philosopher F. Rossi-Landi (1921-1985) conducted pioneering work in the philosophy of language. His research is characterised by a critique of language and ideology in relation to sign production processes and the process of social reproduction. Between Signs and Non-Signs is a collection of 14 articles by Rossi-Landi written between 1952 and 1984 and gives an overview of his contribution to the philosophy of language and his critique of Charles Morris, Wittgenstein, Bachtin, and his Italian contemporaries. It is in fact a project initiated by the author and now posthumously completed by the editor, with a complete bibliography of Rossi-Landi's extensive work. Susan Petrilli's Introduction gives a fresh view of the importance of Rossi-Landi's work to modern critical theory.