"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."
A theoretical approach that examines the relationships between the elements of a system, including language, culture, and society, and the ways in which these relations produce meaning.
Ferdinand de Saussure's theory of language: This theory is central to structuralism and highlights the way in which language is structured and how meaning is derived from linguistic signs.
Binary Oppositions: Structuralists believe in the systematic identification of binary oppositions underlying all phenomena, as they shape how humans understand the world.
Structural Analysis: The application of the principles of structuralism to the cultural and social analysis of diverse phenomena.
Jacques Lacan's theory of the unconscious: Lacan's work focused on the role of language in the formation of the self and the unconscious. He argued that human desires are constituted by the symbolic order of language and the dominant language of a culture.
The Notion of Difference: The concept of difference is a central idea in structuralism, emphasizing the ways in which things are defined in terms of their contrast with other things, rather than intrinsic qualities.
Postmodernism and Deconstruction: Deconstruction is a type of postmodernism that questions the authority of language and suggests that meanings are constructed and unstable.
Signs and Symbolic Systems: Structuralists analyze the structure of signs and symbolic systems to identify patterns and meanings in language, culture, and society.
Structural Linguistics: A field of linguistics that uses structuralist principles to analyze language as a system of signs and symbols.
Structural Anthropology: The application of structuralism to the study of cultural systems and practices.
The Role of the Reader: The concept of the reader response emphasizes the reader's active role in constructing meaning and interpreting texts, rather than simply receiving meaning from the author or the text itself.
Semiotics: This is a type of Structuralism that focuses on the study of signs and symbols and how they are used to communicate meaning. Semioticians analyze language, images, and other forms of representation to uncover the underlying structures that govern their meanings.
Linguistics: This type of Structuralism focuses on the study of language as a system of signs and symbols. Linguists analyze the formal properties of language, such as grammar, syntax, and phonetics, to uncover its underlying structure.
Literary Structuralism: This type of Structuralism focuses on the study of literature and the ways in which it reflects deeper structures of meaning. Literary Structuralists analyze the formal elements of literary texts, such as narrative structure and symbolism, to uncover their underlying structures.
Anthropological Structuralism: This type of Structuralism focuses on the study of social structures and cultural practices. Anthropological Structuralists analyze how cultural practices and beliefs are shaped by underlying structures of meaning and ideology.
Post-Structuralism: This is a more recent type of Structuralism that critiques traditional Structuralist approaches and emphasizes the ambiguity and fluidity of language and meaning. Post-structuralists challenge the idea that there are fixed underlying structures of meaning, and instead emphasize the role of power and ideology in shaping meaning.
Deconstruction: This is a specific type of post-structuralist theory that emphasizes the instability and ambiguity of language, and the need to constantly question and challenge dominant discourses and structures of meaning. Deconstructionists analyze texts to uncover the hidden hierarchies and power relations behind them, and to challenge dominant readings and interpretations.
"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."