Jacques Derrida, “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences”
“La Structure, le signe et le jeu dans le discours des sciences humaines.”
We are immersed in meanings we can't think beyond it. This meaning has created language. All of us live that language. We are passionate about it too. Every meaning has language, and that language is believed in, it is practised and we can't imagine having conversations about it. Even silence has its meanings. Even mystical vibrations have meanings. We are never outside meanings.
The post modern or post-structuralist theories can be divided into two groups.
1. Writers who are abstract use the philosophy of language to question the meaning. Theories which are abstract and which question the nature of meanings as created by language.
2. The other group uses the nature of meaning as created by language to question the dominant ideological systems.
Post colonialism uses deconstruction to challenge the representations of the colonial masters. The New Marxist theory of language is used to understand the nature of the subject. Louis Althusser used theories of Jacques Derrida in a subtle manner to challenge the dominant structures. Thus we can not disregard a post modern concept without disregarding the classical concept as well.
Formation of the subject-
The formation of the subject did not occur in isolation we have to understand the structure and creation of the signifying systems. What is a sign? “A sign of, a signifier referring to a signified [and] a signifier different from its signified” (p.321) Use of language in Post structuralist theory means that when we describe something by using the language, then the meaning of the ‘thing’ or sign gets clouded by the meaning it brings with itself. Let's take an example. Female is a natural word. Descriptive, if we don't get distracted by the post structuralist concept of language it is a perfectly fine word. But, the moment we make sense of the body by using the associated meanings, then we can't utter the word in isolation as various ideas crop up which are not duly attached to the body. So all the associated meanings that are attracted to the word female are a part of the word female in Post structuralist theory. Whereas the word female is vaccus. Empty. It has nothing in it.
The sign/signifier ‘female’ and signifier can be motherhood, emotional, etc.
Derrida says signs comprise two things-
1. signifier
2. signified
Signifier is vaccus, sign is never without a signified and signified is not made up of 1 signifier. There are thousands of signifiers in one signified depending upon the transaction that an individual is doing with the language. So the metaphors/meanings do not leave the signified.
The theory of deconstruction is not an abstract theory. Derrida does not question if language has no meaning, he also does not question the practical uses of language, he says that we have to have language. According to him there are two ways of looking at language-
1. Language practically helps us in our daily life. Language does something for us. By using language we transact the lifelike. When I say, “You are a female” it means the interpretation of body. When I say “Give me a glass of water” it shows a practical use of language and when I say, “I am teacher” I am doing something with language so that you may transact my expertise to your use. I am a teacher is understood because of the implied meaning.
2. It is interpreted and can help us make sense of the things in the world.
According to Derrida the whole knowledge system is made up by the empty signifier, but because the signifiers are used by human beings in a context, the vaccus signifiers are given extra signification or too much significance by individuals using it by associating it with other meanings. Derrida challenges the validity of the knowledge systems which is based on the vaccus signifiers.