TOPIC:TOPIC:

Post-structuralism/Postmodernism Post-structuralism/Postmodernism

INSTRUCTOR:INSTRUCTOR:

Hazir Ullah Hazir Ullah

Time: Time:

11:00 am to 12:30am 11:00 am to 12:30am

Structuralism Poststructuralism

Structuralism was an intellectual movement in France in the 1950s and 1960s

Post-structuralism emerged in France during the 1960s as an anti movement critiquing structuralism.

A major theory associated with Structuralism was binary opposition (i.e. male/female; traditional/modern; enlightenment/romantic; rational and emotional

Post-structuralism offers a way of studying how knowledge is produced and critiques structuralist’s premises.Post-structuralism rejects the notion of the essential quality of the dominant relation in the hierarchy (i.e. Deconstruction)

Stress to see and understand the text (object) and the system the knowledge was produced

Stress Scientific Study of human society and human nature

Poststructuralism denies the possibility of a truly scientific study of "man" or of "human nature.

Key Poststructuralists Key Poststructuralists

Jacques Derrida (Binnary opposition and Jacques Derrida (Binnary opposition and hiérarchie) hiérarchie)

Michel Foucault (Discoures) Michel Foucault (Discoures) Judith Butler (Agency) Judith Butler (Agency)

Key message of postmodernism is: Key message of postmodernism is:

Postmodernism postulates that many, if not all, Postmodernism postulates that many, if not all, apparent realities are only social constructs apparent realities are only social constructs and are therefore subject to change.and are therefore subject to change.

Realities are plural and relatives.Realities are plural and relatives.

PPostmodernism is generally consideredostmodernism is generally considered to to have been conceived during the early have been conceived during the early twentieth century. Postmodernism gained twentieth century. Postmodernism gained significant popularity in the 1950s and significant popularity in the 1950s and dominated literature and art by the 1960sdominated literature and art by the 1960s

Modernism Postmodernism

Enlightenment Post-enlightenment

Absolute truth Relativism/ reality is socially constructed and context bound

Humanism / liberalism Cultural specificity

Homogeneous Heterogeneous

Universal Law Deconstruction

Industries Information

Social structure Agency

Patriarchy Sexual Fluidity

Reality Simulation

Conclusion Inconlusive/ language play