The Play of Signifiers

Abstract

This essay presents a brief introduction to the scholarly methodology known as “poststructuralism.” The first two parts discuss basic concepts in poststructuralist study in general, as well as major concerns involved in poststructuralist study of any text. The focus is on the importance of the materiality of the signifier and how that materiality both plays a part in and disrupts the construction of meaning. The second two parts show more specifically how these concepts and concerns come to bear on the study of biblical texts and related material. The focus is on a poststructuralist methodology that questions and challenges the meanings that readers assign to biblical texts. These four parts are followed by a brief conclusion.