Author: iamdefinitory

Power/Knowledge: Michel Foucault’s concept that knowledge is always linked with power structures, and those who control knowledge also control social hierarchies and practices.

Relativism: A key component of post-structuralism that suggests knowledge and truth are socially constructed and relative to cultural and historical contexts.

Subjectivity: Post-structuralists argue that individuals are constructed through discourses and language, and that identity is not inherent but shaped by societal and cultural forces.

Différance: A term coined by Derrida to describe the continuous process of meaning-making through differences in language; meaning is always deferred, never fixed or final.

Intertextuality: The idea that texts (broadly defined to include cultural artifacts) are interconnected and gain meaning through their relationships to other texts.

Language and Power: Post-structuralism asserts that language shapes our perceptions of reality, and the use of language in social contexts is intertwined with power dynamics and ideologies.

Deconstruction: A method of critical analysis associated with Jacques Derrida, which seeks to expose the inherent contradictions within texts, revealing how meanings are contingent and culturally constructed.

Post-Structuralism: A reaction against structuralism, which argues that meanings are fluid, context-dependent, and unstable. It emphasizes the power of language and social constructs in shaping reality, and critiques the idea of fixed structures.