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Social Theory and Concepts

Poststructuralism

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A philosophical and social-theoretical movement questioning the objectivity and stability of the interpretive structures structuralism posited, arguing that meaning is destabilized by context, power and difference rather than fixed within a closed system of relations.

Facts
Core ClaimSourced to the subject's own account
Rejects the structuralist assumption that a system's elements (such as a dominant term and its subservient counterpart in a binary pair) hold a fixed, stable relation to one another, arguing instead that such oppositions can be destabilized and read against themselves. 1
Origin Year
1960 1
Sourced to the subject's own accountSources give the decade of emergence (France, the 1960s) rather than a single founding year; 1960 stands for the start of that decade, not a precise date.
Cross-Tradition Connections

Critiqued Here

Structuralism, Social Theory and Concepts

Poststructuralism developed as a critical reaction to structuralism rather than a wholesale rejection; several theorists associated with it declined the poststructuralist label themselves.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Poststructuralism
WikipediaOpening paragraph, description
Quote, Opening paragraph, description
Post-structuralism is a philosophical movement that questions the objectivity or stability of the various interpretive structures that are posited by structuralism.
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1. Wikipedia: Poststructuralism
WikipediaRelationship with structuralism, core claim
Quote, Relationship with structuralism, core claim
Post-structuralism rejects the structuralist notion that the dominant word in a pair is dependent on its subservient counterpart.
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1. Wikipedia: Poststructuralism
WikipediaHistory section, origin
Quote, History section, origin
Post-structuralism emerged in France during the 1960s as a movement critiquing structuralism.
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