"Structuralism is an intellectual current and methodological approach, primarily in the social sciences, that interprets elements of human culture by way of their relationship to a broader system."
The concept that meaning is produced by the interaction and contrast between different elements, including language, identities, and power relations.
Postmodernism: A philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in the late 20th century, rejecting the idea of objective truth and emphasizing the importance of subjectivity and individual perspectives.
Structuralism: A theoretical approach to understanding language and culture that emphasizes the relationships and underlying systems of meaning that exist within them.
Semiotics: The study of signs and symbols, and their use in communication and meaning-making.
Binary Opposition: A concept in structuralism that refers to the way in which meaning is created through the comparison and differentiation of binary pairs (e.g. male/female, good/evil).
Hegemony: A term used to describe the dominant culture or ideology in a society, and the ways in which it exerts power and control over other groups.
Otherness: A term used to describe the way in which individuals or groups who are seen as different or “other” are marginalized and excluded from the dominant or hegemonic culture.
Identity: The ways in which individuals or groups define themselves, and the importance of social and cultural factors in shaping those identities.
Post-structuralism: An extension of structuralism that emphasizes the role of language and discourse in shaping meaning and identity, and challenges the idea of stable, objective truths or identities.
Deconstruction: A method of literary and philosophical analysis that emphasizes the ways in which texts and ideas contain contradictions and complexities, and seeks to reveal those complexities by questioning the assumptions and norms underlying them.
Difference: A term used to describe the ways in which individuals or groups are diverse or distinct from one another, and the importance of recognizing and valuing that diversity.
Binary: This type of difference arises when two opposing or conflicting elements are present, creating a hierarchical and exclusionary system. One element is considered dominant or superior, while the other is inferior or marginalized.
Dialectical: Dialectical difference follows the logic of "thesis-antithesis-synthesis." Two opposing ideas or concepts are pitted against one another and ultimately resolved in a higher unity.
Relative: Relative difference involves comparing two things according to their relative or comparative characteristics. This type of difference considers the context and situational factors that define or shape a particular thing.
Supplemental: Supplemental difference pertains to the idea that something can be added to a whole without fundamentally changing its primary identity. It creates an additional layer of meaning or significance to the original entity.
Disseminative: Disseminative difference involves a scattered or fragmented system that lacks any central or dominant location or identity. Information or ideas are spread and disseminated throughout the system, creating multiple entry points for interpretation and meaning-making.
Rhizomatic: Rhizomatic difference is similar to disseminative difference in that it resists a linear and hierarchical structure. However, it also emphasizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of seemingly unrelated elements and suggests that knowledge and meaning emerge from these complex relationships.
Trace: Trace difference refers to the idea that something is always missing or absent, leaving a trace that informs our understanding of the thing itself. This type of difference acknowledges the limitations and incompleteness of language and our attempts to articulate meaning.
"It works to uncover the structural patterns that underlie all the things that humans do, think, perceive, and feel."
"Alternatively, as summarized by philosopher Simon Blackburn, structuralism is: 'The belief that phenomena of human life are not intelligible except through their interrelations.'"
"Structuralism in Europe developed in the early 20th century, mainly in France and the Russian Empire."
"Along with Lévi-Strauss, the most prominent thinkers associated with structuralism include linguist Roman Jakobson and psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan."
"French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss was arguably the first such scholar, sparking a widespread interest in structuralism."
"The structuralist mode of reasoning has since been applied in a range of fields, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, economics, and architecture."
"By the late 1960s, many of structuralism's basic tenets came under attack from a new wave of predominantly French intellectuals/philosophers such as historian Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser, and literary critic Roland Barthes."
"These theorists eventually came to be referred to as post-structuralists."
"Many proponents of structuralism, such as Lacan, continue to influence continental philosophy."
"As an intellectual movement, structuralism became the heir to existentialism."
"Structuralism in Europe developed in the early 20th century, mainly in France and the Russian Empire, in the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and the subsequent Prague, Moscow, and Copenhagen schools of linguistics."
"After World War II, an array of scholars in the humanities borrowed Saussure's concepts for use in their respective fields."
"French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss was arguably the first such scholar, sparking a widespread interest in structuralism."
"Behind local variations in the surface phenomena there are constant laws of abstract structure."
"Structuralism in Europe developed in the early 20th century, mainly in France and the Russian Empire."
"The structuralist mode of reasoning has since been applied in a range of fields, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, economics, and architecture."
"The structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and the subsequent Prague, Moscow, and Copenhagen schools of linguistics."
"By the late 1960s, many of structuralism's basic tenets came under attack from a new wave of predominantly French intellectuals/philosophers such as historian Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser, and literary critic Roland Barthes."
"Many of the fundamental assumptions of some of structuralism's post-structuralist critics are a continuation of structuralist thinking."