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poststructuralist

poststructuralist

1 9.9
Relating to ideas that question fixed meanings and power in language and culture
  • adjective
  • /ˌpoʊstˈstrʌkʧərəlɪst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : postestructuralista
  • The poststructuralist approach challenges the idea that language has a fixed meaning.
  • poststructuralist theory
  • poststructuralist feminists
  • poststructuralist critique

Examples

  • Interested in the intertextuality of the text, the poststructuralist critic analyzes how a text relates to other texts.

    Academic text (2001)
  • A major aim of continental poststructuralist theorists has been to deconstruct the concept of the subject.

    Academic text (2001)
  • However, the poststructuralist version of construction takes a step in a different direction.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Of course, not all feminists agree with poststructuralist versions.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The poststructuralist critic also nullifies the reader, the other source of objective meaning.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The errors of the poststructuralist interpreters of these mosaics are more serious.

    Academic text (1997)
  • One such notion is the pervasive poststructuralist attack on the authority of the artist or author in aesthetic interpretation.

    Academic text (1995)
  • With her term "gender neutrality," Bordo is linking poststructuralist feminism to the "equality" side of the debate.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Despite accusations of nihilism, there is no room in poststructuralist politics for simplistic, individualistic judgments.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Sarup offers an introduction to three of the most influential figures in poststructuralist criticism: Jacques Lacan, Jacques Derrida, and Michel Foucault.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

deconstructionist
vspoststructuralist
  • Formal
1 9.9

Using a method that finds hidden ideas in texts

is broader, questioning fixed meanings and power in language and culture

Surface Forms

Morphology

poststructuralist = structuralist (transparent) = post + structural + ist

Formed by prefixing 'post-' to 'structuralist' (which itself is 'structural' + '-ist'), so the meaning 'related to/postdating structuralism' is directly derived.

Etymology

Poststructuralist is made from post- meaning 'after' and structuralist, which comes from structure meaning 'arrangement' or 'pattern'. So a poststructuralist approach looks at how meanings and identities change instead of staying fixed.