poststructuralism

American  

[pohst-struhk-cher-uh-liz-uhm] / poʊstˈstrʌk tʃər əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. a variation of structuralism, often seen as a critique, emphasizing plurality of meaning and instability of concepts that structuralism uses to define society, language, etc.

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poststructuralism British  

/ pəʊstˈstrʌktʃərəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. an approach to literature that, proceeding from the tenets of structuralism, maintains that, as words have no absolute meaning, any text is open to an unlimited range of interpretations

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Other Word Forms

• poststructural adjective
• poststructuralist adjective

Example Sentences

The book is set in the 1980s; poststructuralism is all the rage.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2020

Kit: I remember one fight when we were walking back from a pub somewhere and we were talking about poststructuralism.

From Slate • Jun. 22, 2018

Mr. Titarenko’s “Nomenclature of Signs” series from the mid-80s, which uses montaged Soviet insignia and architectural details, feels perfectly in keeping with that period’s craze for semiotics and poststructuralism.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2013

The sage of poststructuralism extracts meaning from a short story by Balzac with the care of someone removing kipper bones from their teeth.

From The Guardian • Dec. 30, 2010