Post-structuralism

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Post-structuralism (pronunciation: /poʊstˈstrʌktʃərəlɪzəm/) is a late 20th-century movement in philosophy and literary criticism, which is difficult to summarize but which generally defines itself in its opposition to the popular Structuralism movement which preceded it in 1950s and 1960s France.

Etymology

The term "Post-structuralism" is derived from the word "structure" which comes from the Latin "structura" meaning "a fitting together, building." The prefix "post-" denotes "after" or "beyond," signifying that Post-structuralism is a movement that goes beyond Structuralism.

Overview

Post-structuralism is a response to Structuralism. Structuralism proposes that one may understand human culture by means of a structure—modeled on language (i.e., Linguistics)—that differs from concrete reality and from abstract ideas—a "third order" that mediates between the two. Post-structuralist authors all present different critiques of Structuralism, but common themes include the rejection of the self-sufficiency of the structures that Structuralism posits and an interrogation of the binary oppositions that constitute those structures.

Key Concepts

Post-structuralism rejects the notion of the essential quality of the dominant relation in the hierarchy, choosing rather to expose these relations and the dependency of the dominant term on its apparently subservient counterpart. The only way to properly understand these meanings is to deconstruct the assumptions and knowledge systems that produce multiplicity, the illusion of singular meaning.

Related Terms

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