STRUCTURALISMANDPOST-

STRUCTUALISM

Structuralism• Anintellectualmovementfromearlytomid-20thcentury• Humanculturemaybeunderstoodbymeansofstudyingunderlyingstructuresintexts(culturalproducts)•  FerdinanddeSaussure-founder(studiedlinguis@cs)•  Semio@cs:thestudyofsigns(words/meaning)•  Signifier-spokenword,wriGenword•  Signified-theconceptthatthesignifierstandsfor

CAT

•  Theword“cat”isthesignifier•  Theconceptofa“cat”isthesignified•  Thetwomakeupasign•  Thereisaconnec@onbetweenthesignandthesignifieralbeitarbitrary

•  Eventuallybecomes“fixed”acommunityofconsensus,agreeupon

•  Binary(know“cat”onlybecauseofwhatis“notacat”)

Structuralism•  Binaries•  Informedbytheideaofanunderlyingstructure•  Worksonthepremisethatthe“truth”orthe“real”structurecanbefound

•  Focusontheauthor/producerofthetext•  Levi-Strauss(anthropology)•  FreudandLacan(psychoanalysis)•  Marx(dialec@calmaterialism)•  Chomsky(linguis@cs)•  Barthes(literarystudies)

Post-structuralism•  Aresponsetostructuralism•  Cri1queofthebinariessoo6en

characteris1cofstructuralism•  Ques1onswhatcanbeseenastherigidi1es

ofstructuralistsystemsofthought•  Ques1onstheideaofadis1nctstructure•  Cri1calofsomeofthescien1ficpretensesof

structuralism•  Moreplayfulenterprise/project•  Moreconcernedwiththewayinwhich

versionsoftruthareproducedintextsthroughinterpreta1on

•  Whicharealwaysindisputeandcanneverberesolved

•  Inordertounderstandatext(orsubject,object)isitnecessarytostudyboththetextitselfandthesystemsofknowledgethatproducedthetext

Post-structuralism• Post-structuralisttheoristsques@onthesearchformeaningandcoherence• Derrida-textsthatmakeupculturecanneverbepinneddown• Disconnec@onbetweenthesignifierandthesignified•  “Empty”or“floa@ngsignifier”-vaguehighlyvariable• Meansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople• Rela@onal

Post-structuralism

• Task-nottounderstandculture,buttodeconstructmeaninginculture• Notlookingforunderlyingstructureorsystems• Instead,no@cingthegaps,discon@nui@es,andinconsistenciesintexts

Post-structuralism•  Alwayspar@alityandsubjec@vityinunderstanding•  Mul@plereali@eswhichcanneverbeunderstoodintheiren@retyeitherbythesenderorthereceiver

•  Textsaresubjecttointerpreta@on,doubtanddisputewhatevertheaGemptsoftheauthortoexercisecontrol

•  “Deathoftheauthor”•  Derrida(literarytheory)•  Foucault(history)•  Delueze(philosophy)•  Kristeva(psychoanalysis)•  Butler(gendertheory)

ClosefriendsofPost-Structuralism•  Post-structuralismiscloselyalignedwith:•  Postmodernism•  Culturalcondi@onoflatecapitalism•  Rejectofessen@al“truth”claims•  Ques@ons“metanarra@ves”

•  SocialConstruc1onism•  Reali@es,socialphenomenonareproducedthoughlanguage,history,context,therela@onalandthesocial,etc.

•  Rejectsessen@alism

• StructuralistView• Seekstoclassifyindividualsintermsofgeneralclassesortypes.•  Individuallivesareinterpretedandvaluedaccordingtorulesornorms•  Individualism• Expertshavethepowertoassignmeaningtopeople'slifebydecodingtheunderlyingstructure.

•  Post-StructuralistView

•  Seeksspecificdetailsofpeople'siden@ty.•  Localknowledgeisvalued.•  Individuallivesarevaluedandinterpretedintermsofhowtheyembodyexcep@onstowhatmighthavebeenexpected.•  Rela@onal•  Peoplehavethepowertoconstructmeaningfullivesthroughthestoriestheyenact,tell,andrememberwithoneanother.

TraditionalViewofIdentity

• Fixedandtrue• Essence• quali@esbeneaththesurfacewhichdeterminewhothatpersonreally'is'.

• Peoplehavepower• Areabletoachievewhattheywantintheirrela@onshipswithothers,andsocietyasawhole.

Post-structuralistViewofIdentity• Donothavea'real'iden@tywithinthemselves•  justawayoftalkingabouttheself--adiscourse.• An'iden@ty'iscommunicatedtroughinterac@onswithothers• notafixedthingwithinaperson.•  Itisashi_ing,temporaryconstruc@on

Sovereign/TraditionalPower• Rulersexercisedpowerovertheirsubjects•  Tradi@onalno@onofpower•  Overtcoercionofpower;powerover

• Publiclypunishedthatdirectlyassaultedthebodyofthewrongdoer• Whipping• Publicexecu@on• Torture

Foucault’sViewofPower• Peopledonot'have'powerimplicitly• Powerisatechniqueorac@onwhichindividualscanengagein• Powerisnotexercisedover;notpossessed• Poweriscons@tuted• Powerisdecenteredand"takenup",ratherthancentralizedandexercisedfromthetopdown

Traditionalvs.Modern•  Establishessocialcontrolthroughasystemofins@tu@onalisedmoraljudgementthatisexercisedbyappointedrepresenta@vesofthestateandofins@tu@onsofthestate.

•  Establishessocialcontrolthroughasystemofnormalisingjudgementthatisexercisedbypeopleintheevalua@onoftheirownandeachothers’lives.

• Ins@llsinpeopletheaspira@ontoachieveagrantofmoralworth.

• Ins@llsinpeopletheaspira@ontoachieveagrantofnorma@veworth.

• Actstooppress,repress,limit,prohibit,imposeandtocoerce.

• Recruitspeopleintothesurveillanceandthepolicingoftheirownandeachothers’lives.

• invisible,througharangeofexclusionaryprac@ces,includingbanishment,exile,expulsion,violence,andexecu@on.

• evervisiblethelivesofthosewhoareitssubjects,ins@llinginthemasensethattheirlivesareeveravailabletogeneralscru@nyandtopublicevalua@on.

• Employsatechnologyofpowercharacterizedbysymbolsofinfluence-pomp,ceremony,publicpunishment.

• Employsatechnologyofpowerthatischaracterizedbycon@nuumsofnormality/abnormality,andspecificproceduresofassessmentandevalua@on.

Modern/DisciplinaryPower• Hasitsbasisintheknowledgesandtechnologiesproducedbythenewsciences• Foucault’sProject:Exposetheopera@onsofpoweratthemicro-level:• Prisons• Clinics• Families

Modern/DisciplinaryPower

• Withdisciplinarypower,eachpersondisciplineshimorherself.• Thegoalofdisciplinarypoweristoproduceapersonwhoisdocile.

Panopticon

• thesourceofpowerisinvisibletothosewhoexperienceitmostintensely• personsaresubjecttothe"gaze"andto"normalizingjudgment",• itisimpossibleforpersonstodeterminewhentheyarethesubjectofsurveillanceandscru@nyandwhentheyarenot• assumeitmustalwaysbethecase• personsareincitedtoperpetuallyevaluatethemselves

• Rarelyaconsciousphenomenon.• Theworkingsofthispoweraredisguisedormaskedbecauseitoperatesinrela@ontocertainnormsthatareassigneda"truth"status.• Designedtobringaboutpar@cularand"correct"outcomes,likealifeconsideredtobe"fulfilled","liberated","ra@onal","differen@ated","individuated“…(“self-esteem”)

OperationsofPower

• Arusethatdisguiseswhatisactuallytakingplace• “Areactuallyspecifyingofpersons'livesandofrela@onships…• …thosecorrectoutcomesarepar@cularwaysofbeingthatareprescribedwaysofbeing”(Foucault)

Technologiesoftheself

•  “permitindividualstoeffectbytheirownmeansorwiththehelpofothersacertainnumberofopera8onsontheirownbodiesandsouls,thoughts,conduct,andwayofbeing,soastotransformthemselvesinordertoa;ainacertainstateofhappiness,purity,wisdom,perfec8on,orimmortality.“

PossibleEffectsofNormalizingJudgment

•  self-surveillance•  fear• nega@vecomparison• Not‘measuringup’•  guilt• hopelessness• perfec@on•  judgingothers

“Difficultformanypersonstoentertainforitsuggeststhatmanyoftheaspectsofourindividualmodesofbehaviorthatweassumetobeanexpressionofourfreewillarenotwhattheymightatfirstappear.Infact,thisanalysiswouldsuggestthatmanyofourmodesofbehaviorreflectourcollabora@oninthecontrolorthepolicingofourownlives,aswellasthelivesofothers;ourcollusioninthespecifica@onoflivesaccordingtothedominantknowledgesofourculture.“(MichaelWhite)

TheTherapyProject• Exposeanddeconstructthesetaken-for-grantedprac@cesofpower• Achievedbyengagingpersonsinexternalizingconversa@onsabouttheseprac@ces.• Astheseprac@cesofpowerareunmasked,itbecomespossibleforpersonstotakeaposi@ononthem..•  ..andtocountertheinfluenceoftheseprac@cesintheirlivesandrela@onships.• Foucault-“wherethereispowerthereisresistance”

TherapyProject

• Takeupastanceof“curiosityinregardtothosealterna@veversionsofwhothesepersonsmightbe• Thisisnotjustanycuriosity.•  Itisacuriosityabouthowthingsmightbeotherwise,acuriosityaboutthatwhichfallsoutsideofthetotalizingstoriesthatpersonshaveabouttheirlives,andoutsideofthosedominantprac@cesofselfandofrela@onship.”(MichaelWhite)

“Curiosityisavicethathasbeens8gma8zedintumbyChris8anity,byphilosophy,andevenbyacertainconcep8onofscience.Curiosity,fu8lity.Theword,however,pleasesme.Tomeitsuggestssomethingaltogetherdifferent:itevokes"concern";itevokesthecareonetakesforwhatexistsandcouldexist;areadinesstofindstrangeandsingularwhatsurroundsus;acertainrelentlessnesstobreakupourfamiliari8esandtoregardotherwisethesamethings;afervortograspwhatishappeningandwhatpasses;acasualnessinregardtothetradi8onalhierarchiesoftheimportantandtheessen8al.”(Foucault)