THE CONVERSATION: POST STRUCTURALISM An Attempt to Join Maddie Blair & Sarah Arbogast

CONCEPTUAL MAPPING Power through the grand narrative Money Gende r Cast System Marxism Communism Structuralism Modernity Industrialization Break from the grand narrative Deconstruction Post Modernism Consciousness of larger power structures. Post Structuralism Acknowledges history of power structures, but transcends perception past the meta narrtive Ideas of the ideal utopian society.

Interpretation “Poststructuralism folds the limit back on to the core of knowledge and on to our settled understanding of the truth and the good,” (Williams, 2005, p. 2).

Core of a structure “Truth” or “Good” Limits Deviations For Poststructuralists, the limits are the core. They are not in opposition to the core, but they are a version of pure difference (Williams, 2005).

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? Michel Foucault Jacques Derrida Gilles Deleuze Jean-François Lyotard Julia Kristeva

Jacques Derrida -The book nor the author exist as an absolute, independent identity -We participate in, and transcend texts -Can attribute Derrida to the one who introduced deconstruction of text (Williams, 2005) -Deconstruction a way of interpreting “metaphysics” or theories of existence WORKS TO NOTE Of Grammatology (1967)

Keywords of Deconstruction Origin – the most pure point of the claim Presence – the phenomena is the thought, the most pure point of truth Trace – signs in language of their histories and futures Différance – attempt to conjoin the deferring aspects of the written and the spoken Play – looseness and openness in structures to a variety of interpretations (Williams, 2005)

Michel Foucault -New philosophy of history and previous thoughts -Looking at current structures with consideration to their origins -Hones in on themes of power and loosing the grips of power -Determinism and freedom - Uses grand narrative of sex and gender as point of access WORKS TO NOTE: The Archeology of Knowledge (1969)Madness and Civilization (1961) Discipline and Punish (1975)Power/Knowledge (1980) The History of Sexuality

Gilles Deleuze -Emphasis on recognizing structuralism and be guided through post structuralism -Structure should be about change rather than representation -Relationship between identity and difference -If X and Y are different, there has to exist fundamental reasons for why they are different WORKS TO NOTE: “How Do We Recognize Structuralism” (1972) Difference and Repetition (1968)

Jean-François Lyotard -Emphasis on Aesthetics and Art -Work is also in opposition to generalities or metanarratives -Structures are associated with emotions -Deconstruction = highly creative and transforming process WORKS TO NOTE The Differend (1988)

Julia Kristeva -Work is influential in critical analysis, cultural theory, and feminism -Psychoanalytic approach to post structuralism -Subject is always changing or in a state of crisis -Feminist revolution in language -Poetic revolution

ACTIVITY Role Play & Reflect

Critiques “…it is willfully and irretrievable difficult” “It takes on positions that are marginal, inconsistent and impossible to maintain” (Williams, 2005, p.1) Do you agree?

Response to Critique -Defined as negative in terms of power -Takes away options -Leaves confusion and dogmatism BUT REALLY… -Transformation -Resistance to ignorance -Liberating

Moving Forward Judith Butler -Gender Trouble (1990) – Theorizes Gender as Performative -Bodies of Gender (1993) – Recognizes misunderstanding of Performing gender…it is repetition of following the norms and constraints of gender -Excitable Speech: A Politics of the Performative (1997) – analyzes problems with hate speech and censorship -Undoing Gender (2004) - undoing normal conceptions of a gendered life -Giving an Account of Oneself (2005) – Theorizing the subject in relation to society

Performance -We perform gender, family, athleticism etc. -Move from structure to process (Turner, 1987) -Meaning in the process of everyday behavior (Schechner, 1977)