Post-structuralism
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. Although different post-structuralists present different critiques of structuralism, common themes include the rejection of the self-sufficiency of structuralism, as well as an interrogation of the binary oppositions that constitute its structures. Accordingly, 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. As a result, there is concrete reality on the one hand, abstract ideas about reality on the other hand, and a “third order” that mediates between the two.
A post-structuralist response, then, 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, and that 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 is a common target of post-structuralist thought, while also building upon structuralist conceptions of reality mediated by the interrelationship between signs.
Writers whose works are often characterised as post-structuralist include Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and Jean Baudrillard, although many theorists who have been called “post-structuralist” have rejected the label.
Poststructuralism is a specific intellectual method or a set of critical practices focusing on language, power, and meaning, while postmodernism is a broader cultural and historical period characterized by a rejection of grand narratives and universal truths. Poststructuralism provides the analytical tools and theories, such as deconstruction and the critique of binary oppositions, that postmodernism applies to analyze and dismantle the structures of power within modern society. In essence, poststructuralism is a toolset used to understand the broader cultural condition of postmodernity.
Poststructuralism
- Focus: Language, signs, and discourse as central to human culture and the construction of meaning.
- Method: Critiques the idea of fixed structures and universal meanings, using methods like deconstruction to reveal the instability of language and thought.
- Key Ideas:
- Rejection of binary oppositions: Challenges the hierarchies and dualisms (e.g., man/woman, reason/emotion) that structure thought.
- Power/Knowledge: Explores the inseparable relationship between knowledge, power, and the formation of identity.
- Contextual Truth: Argues that truth is always contextual, partial, and never neutral.
- Historical Context: Emerged in the 1960s and 70s as a response to structuralism’s belief in stable, underlying systems.
Postmodernism
- Focus: A broad cultural, philosophical, and historical condition marked by a skepticism toward universal truths, progress, and grand narratives.
- Characteristics:
- Rejection of “Grand Narratives”: Critiques overarching theories or systems that claim to explain everything (e.g., capitalism, patriarchy, scientific universalism).
- Pluralism and Diversity: Embraces the diversity of experiences and cultures, and highlights the constructed nature of reality.
- Fluidity of Identity: Recognizes that identities are fluid and not fixed.
- Historical Context: A response to the ideals of modernism, which emphasized rationality, progress, and the ability to create a better world through reason and technology.
How They Relate
Interconnectedness: Postmodernism often adopts poststructuralist ideas and methods to analyze and critique its own cultural conditions.
Hierarchy: Poststructuralism can be seen as the theoretical and analytical framework that informs the broader cultural movement of postmodernism. You can think of it this way: poststructuralism provides a set of theories and strategies, while postmodernism describes a cultural epoch that uses those strategies.