What is Deconstructionism?

Deconstructionism is a philosophical method most closely associated with the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. The basic principles are outlined in his book On Grammatology, which was published in 1967, at a time of great intellectual ferment in Western Europe and, indeed, most of the rest of the world. Derrida drew on work by such diverse figures as Saussure, Husserl and Heidegger so as to demonstrate that every text (no matter what the subject, length or style) is composed of a series of disparate and often contrary notions. There can be, he argues, no simple, single interpretation of a text. Instead there are several (or many), all of which have validity and which are, ultimately, irreducibly different and irreconcilable. This method of thought has been applied to intellectual pursuits as diverse as literary and artistic criticism, philosophy and religion.

Since there are multiple valid interpretations of any text, then there must come a point beyond which it is not possible to move in identifying the real or purposive meaning of that text – this point is labelled by Derrida the ‘aporia.’ The process by which he considers the production of the different meanings within the text to occur is called ‘différance.’ It is probably most convenient to think about this by following the deconstruction of a familiar text. Consider, for example, the tale of Hansel and Gretel – two small children wander into the woods and come across what appears to be a kindly old woman who feeds them whatever they want. However, it turns out that the old woman is really a wicked witch who wants to fatten the children up so as to make a better feast for herself. On the face of it, this is a simple fairy story with an obvious normative lesson: do not wander into the woods (or away from civilization or away from the lessons you have been taught, children (or anyone) because there are dangerous things waiting to consume you. Yet considered more closely, a series of contradictions or binary but opposed values are evident. The house in the woods is a place of rest and respite yet it is also the site of the utmost danger; that which Hansel and Gretel most want (food) is also the thing which, while nourishing them, is also preparing to lead to their deaths. The woman who poses as a surrogate mother is also the evil one who desires their death: she appears to be real but is not real, which perhaps indicates the progress of the soul (avoid material, worldly goods and concentrate on what is really valuable) while also containing the perhaps bourgeois, perhaps anti-bourgeois point that the new mother (step-mother or other would-be relative) is really a creature of deception who should not be trusted. Other examples of opposition are easy enough to locate.