Any HS student, who has spent enough money on coffee at the erstwhile Usha Café, would have come across the term ‘structuralism’ in at least one form or the other. Jargon can be a daunting monster to slay, especially when you’re fresh out of school. Let us break this term down into semi-comprehensible pieces.
What is structuralism?
Historically, structuralism rose in popularity in the 1960s, in the wake of existentialism that was dominant in Europe in the 1950s. While existentialism places the human individual, his/her free will and agency as the bearer of knowledge, structuralism opposes this view. It contends that human behaviour and experience are determined by social, cultural and psychological structures. Society is constructed upon these structures which are formed through the relations between opposing elements (better known as binaries). Nothing can be understood in isolation and has to be understood in the backdrop of a bigger context – as a part of a larger structure. Structuralism argues that these structures are formed by way of our perception of the world and do not exist independently. The main figures associated with structuralism are Saussure, Lacan, Lévi-Strauss and Barthes. Claude Lévi-Strauss developed structuralism in anthropology. He analysed the kinship patterns in different cultures and identified a universal underlying structure. This structure, he believed, is built upon the husband/wife relation and concepts like incest taboo and exogamy (marrying outside the family), which are pretty much universal. Incest was not merely a problem of morality – it would also not help in extending relationships, and hence came about the taboo around it. Women are ‘exchanged’ as gifts to initiate alliances with other groups, for various reasons. In sum, Lévi-Strauss argues that a structure built on these relations is universal and thus constructs society.
Structuralism in literary theory
Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes spearheaded the introduction of structuralism in linguistics and literature. According to the structuralist theory of literature, the author is just a faceless figure who produces narratives that reflect the underlying structures of society. Emphasis is laid on the reader, who uncovers the patterns and structures embedded in the narrative through their understanding and interpretation. Barthes substantiates these ideas in his groundbreaking work ‘Death of the Author’. The structuralist theory of literature marked a shift from the interpretation of individual works towards a wider understanding of a genre or recurring themes in narratives. It makes use of markers like plot, characters, conflict and action to identify patterns that connect a multitude of narratives. For example, elements like the evil stepmother/witch, damsels in distress and chivalrous princes form the universal underlying structure of fairy tales. The narratives follow a predictable plot and end with happily-ever-afters. According to structuralism, the details of the plot, character development and relations are used to weave different versions of a narrative, which are fundamentally the same in structure.
Structuralism was criticized in the later years for being reductionist in nature and for its dichotomous character. What followed suit was post-structuralism, seeking to deconstruct the notion of ‘binaries’. Post-structuralism became widely popular in the 1970s. For further understanding of structuralism, use these links:
- Desperate in-class googling: https://www.shmoop.com/structuralism/
- Fancier link to use as term paper reference: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/07/
Disclaimer: The author claims to have no JSTOR level understanding of the subject. In case of any doubts, please grab the nearest 4th or 5th year HS senior.
Text by Meenakshi Viswanathan, artwork by Namrata Nirmal.
‘HSSpeak’ is Article 19’s newest series that is aimed at providing an accessible resource for students to resort to, when clueless in the face of seemingly complex department jargon. Have any such terms in mind you can’t wrap your head around? Let us know, and we’ll try our best to simplify them for you.
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