- "Post-structuralism is a philosophical movement that questions the objectivity or stability of the various interpretive structures that are posited by structuralism and considers them to be constituted by broader systems of power."
A theoretical approach that challenges the idea of stable underlying structures and instead emphasizes the fluidity and contingency of cultural meaning and identity.
Structuralism: An intellectual movement that began in the 1950s and emphasized the concept of structure in understanding human culture and society.
Deconstruction: A critical approach that seeks to undermine the assumptions, binary oppositions, and hierarchy that underpin ideologies and texts.
Discourse and Power: The concept of discourse is central to post-structuralist thought and refers to the ways in which language and knowledge create and shape social realities. Power, in turn, is understood as the ability to shape and control discourse.
The death of the author: The idea that the meaning of a text is not fixed but instead changes over time and is created through the reader's interpretation.
Postmodernism: An intellectual and cultural movement that emerged in the late 20th century and that questioned the validity of many modernist assumptions, such as the idea of objective truth.
Rhizome: A metaphorical concept introduced by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari that symbolizes a non-linear and interconnected way of thinking.
Transgression: A concept that emphasizes the importance of breaking down established boundaries and subverting established structures and hierarchies.
Ethics: The concept of ethics is central to post-structuralist thought in that it emphasizes that individuals are not autonomous but instead are shaped by and embedded within complex networks of power and discourse.
The politics of identity: A concept that highlights the ways in which identities are socially constructed and how they are often used to reinforce power relations.
Post-colonial theory: A critical approach that emphasizes the impact of colonialism on contemporary cultural, political and economic practices, and institutions.
Gender and sexuality: Poststructuralism emphasizes that gender and sexuality are not fixed categories but instead are socially constructed and shaped by power relations.
Disciplinary power: A concept that refers to the ways in which institutions and practices such as schools, prisons, and medicine use discourse to shape individuals into specific types of subjects.
The body: A central theme in post-structuralism that highlights the ways in which the human body is constructed and disciplined by a range of power relations and cultural practices.
Non-linear time: Post-structuralism emphasizes that time is not linear and unidirectional but instead is shaped by a range of cultural and social practices.
The gaze: A concept that refers to the ways in which objects and individuals are viewed and represented in culture and the way that this can shape power relations.
Deconstruction: A philosophical approach that emphasizes the fluidity of meaning and critiques the idea of language as stable and objective.
Postmodernism: A movement that challenges the idea of universal truths and objective reality, emphasizing the role of language, culture, and history in shaping our understanding of the world.
Structuralism: An anthropological approach that analyzes the underlying structures and systems that shape cultural practices and beliefs.
Cultural Studies: An interdisciplinary approach that combines textual analysis, historical research, and social theory to explore the ways that culture and power intersect.
Feminist Theory: A critical approach that examines the ways that gender and power intersect and seeks to challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
Postcolonial Theory: An approach that critiques the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, exploring the ways that power and knowledge are intertwined.
Queer Theory: An approach that explores the ways that sexuality and gender identity are socially constructed and seeks to challenge traditional notions of heteronormativity.
Critical Race Theory: An approach that examines the ways that race and racism are embedded in social structures and institutions and seeks to challenge systemic inequality.
- "Common themes among them include the rejection of the self-sufficiency of structuralism, as well as an interrogation of the binary oppositions that constitute its structures."
- "Post-structuralism discards the idea of interpreting media (or the world) within pre-established, socially constructed structures."
- "Structuralism proposes that human culture can be understood by means of a structure that is modeled on language."
- "A 'third order' mediates between the concrete reality on the one hand, and the abstract ideas about reality on the other hand."
- "A post-structuralist critique might suggest that in order to build meaning out of such an interpretation, one must (falsely) assume that the definitions of these signs are both valid and fixed."
- "The author employing structuralist theory is somehow above and apart from these structures they are describing so as to be able to wholly appreciate them."
- "The rigidity and tendency to categorize intimations of universal truths found in structuralist thinking."
- "Post-structuralist thought also builds upon structuralist conceptions of reality mediated by the interrelationship between signs."
- "Writers whose works are often characterized as post-structuralist include Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and Jean Baudrillard."
- "Many theorists who have been called 'post-structuralist' have rejected the label."