2. Deconstruction
• It’s a Philosophical movement founded in the
works of Derrida.
• Deconstruction is simply a method , a way of
reading texts, Philosophical one in particular.
• It examines the implications of a given theory,
drawing them out until they undermine or
contradict that theory itself.
• In simple terms deconstruction is a form of
textual analysis
3. • It’s a critique of structuralism and
phenomenology.
• It examines the implications of a given theory
• Drawing them out until they undermine or
contradict that theory itself.
• It’s aim is to unmask or overcome the hidden
privilege.
4. Traits of Deconstruction
1. Questions the attempt to construct first
world philosophy.(Foundational)
2. Context of deconstruction is limitless and
indeterminable.
3.It is a constant movement of
recontextulazition
4.It demonstrates the incompleteness or
incoherence of a philosophical position.
5. Its an internal conceptual critique.
5. • The word ‘deconstruction’ comes from
Heidegger’s concept of ‘decstruktion’,
• Which means loosing up of old tradition of
ontology.
• Deconstruction is a kind of internal conceptual
critique
• It demonstrates the incompleteness or
incoherence of a philosophical position.
6. Critique of Logocentrism.
• Deconstruction involves what is called ‘decentring’
• For Derrida western thought is based on the idea of a
centre-
• An Origin
• A Truth
• An Ideal
• An immovable Mover
• An Essence
• A God
• A Presence
7. • For Derrida the problem of centers is that they
attempt to exclude
• They repress, ignore or marginalize others.
• Example; Male dominated societies, man is
central and woman is marginalized.
• (Derrida was born in a Jewish family, growing
up as a member of marginalized culture.)
8. • A structuralist method of analysis, especially
of literary works, that focuses upon words and
language
• Logocentric philosophy constitutes itself as
exemplary of the “logos” a Greek word whose
meaning include, reason, speech, rational
discourse, truth, law etc.
9. Logocentrism and binary opposites .
• The longing for centers leads to binary
opposites
• Such as sprit/matter, nature/culture,
Christian/Pagan, Man/ woman etc.
• Here one is the central and other marginal.
• The western thought behaves in the same way
forming pairs of binary opposites, which one
member of the pair is privileged and
marginalizing the other.
10. • The western logocentric tradition saw that the
meaning is fixed (centred) by a transcendental
signified.
• Derrida criticises such practices of logocentrism.
Deconstruction exhibits the limitations of
logocentric philosophies and dethrones it.
• Deconstruction is a tactics of decentring, which
makes us first aware of the centrality of the
central term. Then it attempts to subvert the
central term with the marginal term.
11. • It overthrows the hierarchy temporarily. But,
eventually this new hierarch is also unstable.
• It leads to complete ‘free play’ of the binary
opposites in a non-hierarchical way.
• Then there exists no central configuration, no
marginalized or privileged one.
• We should continuously attempt to see the
free play in our language and texts.
12. Conclusion
• Thus the method of deconstruction involves:
1.Focussess on the binary oppositions in a text
2. Shows how the opposites are related
3.Temporarily subverts the hierarchy ( marginal
becomes the central).
4. Finally, both the terms of the opposition are
seen dancing in a free play of non-
hierarchical, non stable ways of meaning.
