Poststructuralism

Poststructuralism encompasses a wide range of intellectual proposals which emerged and have gathered momentum since the second half of the 20th century in such diverse fields as philosophy, linguistics, literary studies, social sciences, the arts, pedagogy, etc., and which challenged traditional approaches—generally based on binary oppositions—to language, society, culture, knowledge and thought. Poststructuralism is linked to authors including Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva, Michel Foucault, and, quintessentially, the philosopher considered to be the father of deconstruction, Jacques Derrida. This movement takes as its starting point the instability of meaning, shows an extreme distrust of concepts such as Truth or Knowledge—traditionally understood to be sacrosanct, unquestionable, and universal values—, and is interested in unravelling the mechanisms and power relations that help to establish certain views and interpretations and make them be perceived as natural or given. Not surprisingly, it has had an important significance in the field of translation studies. In this entry, the main assumptions underlying poststructuralist and deconstructionist thought are summarised and their contribution in relation to previous approaches will be critically assessed. Subsequently, the role of poststructuralism and deconstruction in the development of different approaches within the field of translation studies will be explained. Its influence will be discovered, for instance, in the shift in TS from early scientific and prescriptivist approaches to descriptive approaches to translation (such as those initially advocated by the so-called Manipulation School and by descriptive translation studies or DTS) as well as in the emergence of critical insights to translation (including postcolonial critique, gender-based approaches to translation and research focused on issues of ideology, power, and authority). Finally, the relevance and potential of poststructuralist and deconstructionist approaches for translation research, translation practice and translator training in our globalised societies of the digital age will be assessed