Structuralism
as a form of thought and theoretical approach emerged from a reaction against
the humanism of Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism.
Sartre assailed the idea of structures that overly determine the behavior of
individuals, of having actors without agency. Structuralism emerged in the
1960s, and was based on the work of Ferdinand de Saussure. Saussure’s work in linguistics was oriented to understanding
the structures underlying languages and all form of human sign systems
(semiology or semiotics). Thus, structuralism is associated with the linguistic turn. Saussure focused on the relationship between
the formal, grammatical system of language (langue) and the everyday
usage of language (parole) (see extended summary on de Saussure's langue and parole).
Parole was of little interest to linguists, who should be concerned with
understanding the determinant laws that govern langue. Langue is
conceptualized by de Saussure as a system of signs whereby each sign may be
understood by its relationships to other signs within the system. This system
of signs is a structure, a structure that affects society by shaping
relationships of signs within the system and our understanding of the world. Saussure focused on the creation of
difference, particularly through binary oppositions (e.g., hot/cold) , which
have meaning only in relation to one another. The idea of semiotics extended
the analysis of sign systems to various dimensions of the social world.
When first
published de Saussure's work remained within the confines of linguistics but in
the 60's structuralism also influenced anthropology and Marxism. In the former case, the work of Claude Levi-Strauss exhibits this
influence. Levi-Strauss attempted to extend structuralism to anthropology,
focusing on communication. He reinterpreted social phenomena for their effects
on communication. Structural Marxism took from structuralism an interest in the
historical origins of structures, but continued to focus on social and economic
structures. An example of structuralism in Marxist thought can be found in the
works of Louis Althusser and Michel Foucault. Roland Barthes is
considered on of the key figures in developing structuralism in semiotics and
also taking it to the next phase of poststructuralism. Structuralism also made
its way into psychoanalysis in the works of Jacques Lacan.
Read more on:
Roland Barthes / Rhetoric of the Image
Roland Barthes - Myth Today
Roland Barthes - The Death of the Author
Michel Foucault – Of Other Spaces (Heterotopia)
Michel Foucault - "The Subject and Power"
Lacanian Terminology – Central Concepts in Lacan's Theory
Roland Barthes - Myth Today
Roland Barthes - The Death of the Author
Michel Foucault – Of Other Spaces (Heterotopia)
Michel Foucault - "The Subject and Power"
Lacanian Terminology – Central Concepts in Lacan's Theory
Some books on structuralism to consider:
