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deconstruction

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in linguistics, philosophy, and literary theory, the exposure and undermining of the metaphysical assumptions involved in systematic attempts to ground knowledge, especially in academic disciplines such as structuralism and semiotics . The term “deconstruction” was coined by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1960s. In general, deconstruction is a philosophy of meaning, which deals with the ways that meaning is constructed by writers, texts, and readers. Extending the philosophical excursions of Nietzsche and Heidegger , Derrida criticized the entire tradition of Western philosophy's search to discover the essential structure of knowledge and reality, ultimately confronting the limits of human thought. As an extension of his theory of logocentrism, Derrida posited that all texts are based on hierarchical dualisms (e.g., being/nonbeing, reality/appearance, male/female), where the first element is regarded as stronger and thus essentially true and that all systems of thought have…
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Full text Article DECONSTRUCTION

From Key Ideas in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language
Deconstruction is an approach to doing philosophy that subverts just about everything mainstream philosophy has stood for through the centuries. It is associated with the name of the controversial Algerian-born French philosopher Jacques Derrida who was strongly influenced by, among others, …
| 1,553 words
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Full text Article deconstruction

From The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology
Originally a critical method for the analysis of the meaning of philosophical and literary works by breaking down and reassembling their constitutive parts (‘sentences’). It claims that conventional interpretations of texts concentrate on the author and the overt meaning of the work. …
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Full text Article deconstruction

From Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
This refers to a poststructuralist philosophy, associated with structuralism , much of whose impetus was provided by the writings of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2004). Its early key texts were his Of Grammatology (1967 [trans. 1977]) and Writing and Difference (1967 [trans. 1978]). …
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Full text Article Deconstruction

From Feminist Philosophies A-Z
A method of analysis and interpretation in the poststructuralist tradition developed by French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Deconstruction argues that the understanding of any text, be it an actual written text or text understood more broadly to include truth claims, social values, norms and…
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Full text Article deconstruction

From The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Design Since 1900
Is a term developed by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida from the late 1960s. It was primarily a philosophy of literary criticism and described a method of reading in which a text was see n to have numerous interpretations, not just one meaning, and can thus never exactly mean what it says or…
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Full text Article Deconstruction

From Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology
‘Deconstruction’ refers to a strategy of philosophical critique often linked with ‘postmodernism’ and primarily associated with French philosopher J. Derrida (1935–2004). The term was introduced by Derrida in 1967 to describe his approach to the history of philosophy; unfortunately, the term is…
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Full text Article Deconstructionism

From Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices
“Deconstructionism” refers to an academic style of reading and interpreting texts, associated especially with Parisian postmodern philosophy and a general suspicion of authority. An academic style rather than a specific hermeneutic method, deconstructionism simply means taking apart the arguments of…
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Full text Article deconstruction

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in linguistics, philosophy, and literary theory, the exposure and undermining of the metaphysical assumptions involved in systematic attempts to ground knowledge, especially in academic disciplines such as structuralism and semiotics . The term “deconstruction” was coined by French philosopher…
| 412 words
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Full text Article Deconstruction

From International Encyclopedia of Human Geography
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Glossary Différance A neologism that refers to both a sense of spatial dispersal and temporal deferral characteristic of textuality. Logocentrism The belief that language can serve as an unmediated expression for thought. Metaphysics of presence The…
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Full text Article Deconstruction

From SAGE Key Concepts series: Key Concepts in Critical Management Studies
Definition: Deconstruction is a definite sense that things are not yet finished. When we hear people talking about deconstruction, there is often the sense that they are taking something apart. Usually the kind of thing that is being taken apart is some use of language. Maybe one is deconstructing a…
| 1,562 words
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