This blog is given by Dr. Dilip Sir Barad as part of flipped learning activities on Derrida and Deconstruction. For further information Click here.
Video :1
Deconstruction is hard to define because meaning in language is never fixed. Derrida questions whether we can ever fully define anything, as meanings always shift depending on context.
It is not a negative or destructive activity. Derrida says deconstruction is not about breaking things just to destroy them. Instead, it's about closely examining ideas and finding hidden meanings or contradictions.
Deconstruction often happens on its own because language naturally has gaps, limits, and contradictions. Even when a writer tries to be clear, the text may reveal other meanings.
Derrida asks deep questions about how we define things. He refuses to define deconstruction in a strict way, just like other terms in philosophy and literary theory.
He is influenced by Heidegger, who also questioned the foundations of Western philosophy. Derrida believes the whole structure of Western thought should be re-examined and transformed.
In his 1983 letter to a Japanese friend (Professor Izutsu), Derrida explains how meaning and language change across cultures and translations.
He also challenges binary oppositions (like good/evil, speech/writing) and shows how these opposites are not always stable or fair.
Derrida’s key idea is “différance”, which means that meaning is based on both difference (how words differ from others) and deferral (how meaning is always delayed). So, meaning is never complete or final.
Questions :-
Why is it difficult to define Deconstruction?
Answer : -
Because deconstruction does not believe in one fixed meaning. It says that meaning keeps changing. That’s why we cannot give one simple or final definition.
Is Deconstruction a negative term?
Answer :-
No, it is not negative. Some people think it breaks things, but it actually helps us understand things in a better and deeper way.
How does Deconstruction happen on its own?
Answer :-
Deconstruction happens by itself because language is full of different and hidden meanings. When we read closely, we find those meanings without trying too
hard.
Video : 2
The seeds of Deconstruction come from Martin Heidegger, especially from his book Being and Time (Sein und Zeit, 1927).
Important thinkers who influenced Derrida include:
1. Martin Heidegger (1889–1976)
2. Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
3. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
Key Themes and Ideas:
Heidegger believed that the question of “being” was repressed and ignored in Western philosophy. He wanted to bring it back to focus.
Derrida continues this idea by saying that Western thought is built on hidden assumptions, especially the belief in fixed meaning.
In postmodern thinking, man is decentered meaning does not come from a single source or truth but from multiple, shifting structures. This idea is seen in Heidegger and Nietzsche.
Logocentrism and phonocentrism (preference for speech over writing) are signs of how Western philosophy gives more value to presence over absence. Derrida critiques this as part of the metaphysics of presence.
Heidegger and Derrida’s Shared Goal:
Heidegger used the term “destruction” to describe his process of breaking down traditional philosophy. This concept was later translated as “deconstruction” by Derrida.
Heidegger aimed to dismantle the whole tradition of Western philosophy by rethinking the question of Being.
Derrida follows this path, using language, meaning, and structure to continue questioning the foundations of Western thought.
Questions :
The influence of Heidegger on Derrida
Answer :-
Heidegger said we must rethink what it means to ' be.'Derrida learned from him and said we must also question how language creates meaning.
Derridean rethinking of the foundations of Western philosophy.
Answer : -
Derrida challenged fixed ideas like truth vs. false, speech vs. writing. He said meanings are not stable and always change. So, he broke the old rules of philosophy and brought new ways to think.
Video : 3
Derrida’s Deconstruction is influenced by Ferdinand de Saussure’s idea that meaning in language is arbitrary and relational any word (sign) gains meaning only in relation to other words, not by itself.
Derrida challenges the “metaphysics of presence” the belief that meaning or truth is found in what is present and stable. He says we should not always trust what is said to be true or original.
Phonocentrism and logocentrism are part of this metaphysical thinking. They give more value to spoken words over written words, assuming that speech is more “true.”
Derrida says Western philosophy is based on binary oppositions like:
Good vs Evil
Man vs Woman
Presence vs Absence
These opposites are not equal one side is usually treated as superior, and the other as inferior (e.g., evil is just a lack of good, or woman is seen in relation to man).
Derrida introduces the term “différance”, which combines to differ and to defer. It shows that meaning is always unstable it changes depending on what it is compared to, and is always delayed.
He points out that meaning is not fixed but created through difference and absence (e.g., the meaning of “cold” comes from the absence of “hot”).
The idea of phallogocentrism combines phallocentrism (male-centered thinking) and logocentrism. Derrida criticizes this because it privileges male-centered authority in language and philosophy.
Questions:
Ferdinand de Saussureian concept of language (that meaning is arbitrary, relational, constitutive)
Answer :
Meaning is arbitrary: There is no natural connection between a word (like “tree”) and the thing it refers to.
Meaning is relational: Words get meaning by being different from other words.
Meaning is constitutive: Language does not just reflect meaning it creates meaning.
How Derrida deconstructs the idea of arbitrariness?
Answer :-
Derrida agrees meaning is arbitrary, but he adds that: Meaning is never fixed.It always depends on context and other words.So, meaning is always shifting and unstable.
Concept of metaphysics of presence
Answer :-
Western thinking believes that truth or meaning is present.Derrida says this is wrong.We always depend on language, and language is never pure or present.
Video : 4
Critique of Speech over Writing: Derrida challenges the traditional Western philosophical tendency to privilege speech over writing, arguing that speech is often considered to have a more immediate "presence" of meaning.
DifferAnce as a Core Concept:
It's not a concept or idea, but a "force" that makes differentiation possible.
It combines two French words:
"différer" (to differ/distinguish) and "déferer" (to defer/postpone).
It means both "to differ" (spatial distinction) and "to defer" (temporal postponement).The term itself cannot be pronounced differently, only spelled differently, highlighting its written nature.
Throughout Western philosophy, there's a tendency to assume a "final meaning" or "transcendental signified" can be grasped.
Derrida argues that meaning is always postponed and that a final meaning is a "myth."
One word leads to another, and the meaning is constantly deferred; it never comes out of a dictionary fully.
Metaphysics of Presence:
"Differance" is a "symptom of the metaphysics of presence."The concept of "difference" itself is not a negative term but contrasts with the binary opposition of negative and positive.Western philosophy tends toward "phonocentrism," which prioritizes speech and its perceived presence.
Saussure and the Sign:
Saussure stated there are no positive items in language. A Saussurean sign is equal to a signifier, which signifies something.
Derrida's "Differance" leads to the "free play of signifiers," meaning nothing is definitively signified.
Speaking is seen as a "practice of presence" in Western philosophy, while writing is considered a "practice of absence."
In deconstruction, writing is considered "primary" and speaking "secondary."
Derrida's Purpose:
He draws attention to the fact that we often take for granted that we understand things. He questions the "privilege of speech over writing."
Questions:
Derridean concept of DifferAnce
Answer :-
DiffeAnce is a word made by Derrida. It means:
To differ: Words get meaning by being different from other words.
To defer: Meaning is always delayed. We never get full meaning right away.
Infinite play of meaning
Answer :-
Because meaning keeps changing and shifting, it is never final. Words always connect to other words, so meaning goes on like a chain.
DIfferAnce = to differ + to defer
Answer :-
Derrida combined these two ideas:
Differ - meanings come from differences between words
Defer - meaning is always postponed So, meaning is never complete, only a part of an endless process.
Video : 5
Structure, Sign & Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences.
'Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique.''language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique' (This appears to be a repetition).
A paper read at the colloquium on "Structuralism" at Johns Hopkins university - "Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences" (1966)
Structure, Sign and Play is one of the very important documents contemporary literary theory.
Therefore is known as post-structuralism. 1967 Post-Structuralism is not outright rejection of criticism of structuralism but going beyond by critiquing Structuralism.
Ex -: Buddhism it set out as a critic of Vedanta and it actually ends up sounding more like Vedanta.
language demands critic. so any philosophical statement will always contain a blind spot which ask for criticism.
Deconstructive writing is most of the time auto-critical.Similar cases that have happened in the past (eg. Friedrich Nietzsche C1844-1900).
Heidegger said Nietzsche is the last metaphysician.Criticism has been levied against tradition using the same assumption that tradition is always out side of tradition.
Derrida pushes the destabilized motion of the centre in the point of a "rupture" in the history of thought on Structurality.
When using the same language and the same assumptions that we find assumptions Structuralism appeals to they project what is science & metaphysics.
The essay "A Critique of The Levi-Strauss & Edmund anthropologist made Structuralism. Claude Levi-Strauss (1908-2009) - French Anthropologist.
Structuralism Anthropology (1958)Structuralism began as a critic of the assumption of Science as well as metaphysics. The centre is paradoxically within the structure and outside it elsewhere. The centre is not the centre.
Structuralism is using the same assumption that we find in metaphysics and Science.Structuralism is a criticism of Science and metaphysics on other side using the same assumption.
Questions :-
Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences
Answer :-
Every system like religion or science has a structure with a center that gives it meaning. But this center is not natural or permanent.Meanings are always changing and moving.
Explain: "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique."
Answer :-
This means that Sometimes, words are unclear, have more than one meaning, or even contradict each other.Because of this, language makes us question itself.
Video : 6
The Yale School - the hub of the practitioners of Deconstruction in the literary theories.
The characteristics of the Yale School of Deconstruction.
During 1970s - the Yale School has been the hub of the practitioners of Deconstruction in the literary theories.
Few people are associated with this Post-essay
1) Paul de Man (1919-1983)
2) J Hillis Miller (1918-)
3) Harold Bloom (1930)
4) Geoffrey Hartman (1929)
Main four people make deconstruction popular.Yale School is responsible for bringing deconstruction in the literary criticism.
Some most important characteristics
1) Firstly, looking at literature as rhetorical or figurative construct.They showed that literature can create multiplicity of meaning by focusing on various figures of speech.
2) Secondly, the question both the aesthetic as well as formalist approach to literature and also question the historical or Sociologist approach to literature.
Paul de man's work, materiality of Signifier. When we say red red rose that we feel and red rose, the materiality of it is similar to actual red rose.
Paul de Man argues that aesthetic is the very illusory effect of language and so is social and historical. One so both real.
In "Blindness and Insight": Essays in the Rhetoric of Contemporary Criticism (1971) Paul de Man sought to deconstruct the primacy of symbol over allegory and metaphor in romantic thought. Paul de Man shows that it is metaphor but it's allegory that is very important in Romanticism.
Questions :
The Yale School: the hub of the practitioners of Deconstruction in the literary theories
Answer :-
The Yale School was a group of famous literary critics in Yale University who used Derrida’s theory of Deconstruction to study literature.
Main members:
Paul de Man
J. Hillis Miller
Harold Bloom
Geoffrey Hartman
They helped spread Deconstruction in American literary studies, especially during the 1970s and 1980s.
The characteristics of the Yale School of Deconstruction
Answer :-
1) The looking at literature rhetorical or figurative construct.
2) The question both the aesthetic as well as formalist approach to literature and also question the historicist or sociologist approach to literature
3) important characteristics of yale school is their preoccupation with Romanticism.
Video :7
Here other critical schools like New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, Feminism, Marxism, Postcolonial Theories used Deconstruction.
Yale School was primarily preoccupied with rhetorical and figurative analysis of literary text and in deconstructing that.
Postcolonial theories fascinated by its ability to show that the texts or discourse of the colonizers can be deconstructed from within the narratives.
Feminist theories - in interested because it deals with how to subvert the binary between male and female to subvert patriarchal discourse.
Cultural materialist - interested in it to emphasize the materiality of language - language is material construct and it has got ability to unmask the hidden ideological agendas. The text is historical and history is textual .
Questions :-
How other schools like New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, Feminism, Marxism and Postcolonial theorists used Deconstruction?
Answer :-
New Historicism : Uses Deconstruction to show that history is not fixed and can have many meanings.
Cultural Materialism: Uses Deconstruction to find hidden power and unfair control in culture.
Feminism : It deals with how to subvert the binary between male and Female to subvert patriachal discourse.
Marxism : Uses Deconstruction to show how language supports rich people and hides class struggle.
Postcolonial theories: Fascinated by its ability to show that the texts or discource of the colonizers can be deconstructed from within the narratives .
Thank you for reading..
Reference :-
Barad, Dilip. “Deconstruction and Derrida.” Dilip Barad: Teacher Blog, 21 Mar. 2015, https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2015/03/deconstruction-and-derrida.html.Accessed 26 June 2025.
Barad, Dilip. “Flipped Learning Network.” Dilip Barad’s Blog, 11 Jan. 2016, blog.dilipbarad.com/2016/01/flipped-learning-network.html. Accessed 26 June 2025.
DoE-MKBU. “Unit 5: 5.1 Derrida and Deconstruction - Definition (Final).Avi.” YouTube, 22 June 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl-3BPNk9gs. Accessed 26 June 2025.
DoE MKBU. “Unit 5: 5.2.1 Derrida & Deconstruction – Heidegger (Final).” YouTube, uploaded by DoE MKBU, 22 June 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=buduIQX1ZIw.Accessed 26 June 2025.
DoE-MKBU. 5.2.2 Derrida & Deconstruction – Ferdinand de Saussure (Final). YouTube, 13 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7M9rDyjDbA.Accessed 26 June 2025.
DoE‑MKBU. Unit 5: 5.3 Derrida and Deconstruction – DifferAnce (Final). YouTube, uploaded by DoE‑MKBU, 13 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJPlxjjnpQk. Accessed 26 June 2025.
DoE‑MKBU. Unit 5: 5.4 Derrida & Deconstruction – Structure, Sign & Play (Final). YouTube, uploaded by DoE‑MKBU, 13 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOV2aDwhUas. Accessed 26 June 2025.
DoE‑MKBU. Unit 5: 5.5 Derrida & Deconstruction – Yale School (Final). YouTube, uploaded by DoE‑MKBU, 13 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_M8o7B973E.Accessed 26 June 2025.
DoE‑MKBU. Unit 5: 5.6 Derrida & Deconstruction: Influence on Other Critical Theories (Final). YouTube, uploaded by DoE‑MKBU, 13 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAU-17I8lGY.Accessed 26 June 2025.
