Structuralism Vs. Poststructuralism

 

Structuralism Vs

Poststructuralism

Both theories emphasize the importance of language and signs in shaping our understanding of the world around us. However, there are some key differences between Structuralism and Poststructuralism that set them apart.

 

	Structuralism		Poststructuralism
1	Structuralism is a theoretical approach that emerged in the mid-20th century	1	Poststructuralism emerged in the late 20th century as a response to structuralism.
2	Ferdinand de Saussure is the father of Structuralism in literature and linguistics.	2	Jacques Derrida is the pioneer of Poststructuralism.
3	Theory of Structuralism was first found in 'Course in General Linguistics' by Saussure which published posthumously in 1916.		Theory of Poststructuralism was delivered by Derrida in a 1966 lecture titled "Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences"
4	Structuralism believes in a two-tiered reality about language. The first is the langue, the abstract and invisible layer, while the second, the parole, refers to the actual speech that we hear in real life.	4	Poststructuralism believes that language and signs are not stable and fixed, but rather are fluid and constantly shifting.
5	Structuralism believes in the concept of Binary Opposition. We understand darkness only because we have seen light.	5	Poststructuralism rejects the idea of Binary Opposition. Understanding about the world keeps on changing from time to time, from culture to culture.
6	Structuralists hold the view that there is one single truth which we need to unearth by analyzing the structures. They believe in fixed reality.	6	Poststructuralists reject the idea of a fixed or objective reality and argue that knowledge is always subjective and depends on the context in which it is produced. Truth keeps on changing.
7	Structuralists focus on the text, language, symbols and images in order to derive the meaning.	7	Poststructuralists focus on the contexts, cultures, traditions and readers.
8	The author who creates structures is at the center.	8	The author is replaced by the reader.
9	Saussure, Claude Levi-Strauss, Gerard Genette from France and  Tzvetan Todorov - a Bulgarian-French literary theorist are the major followers of structuralism.	9	Jacques Derrida, Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard from France, Julia Kristeva from Bulgaria, are the major followers of poststructuralism.

 Click to watch a lecture on Structuralism.

Click to watch a lecture on Poststructuralism.