Deconstruction Research Articles

Acts from the cracks: Representations and positions of the decolonial in the geopolitical (de)construction of power-entangled knowledge.

This paper examines the geopolitical implications of knowledge production in psychology through two studies that respond to the growing body of work on the 'Decolonisation of Knowledge' and the 'Decolonisation of Psychology' over the past two decades. By adopting a constructivist approach, particularly through the lens of Social Representation Theory (SRT), these studies explore the ways in which geopolitical contexts shape decolonial activism within psychological and scientific discourse. The first study sheds light on the lexical divergences in the construction of knowledge within the domains of psychology. We reviewed 300 article abstracts related to decolonial studies using lexicometric analysis based on the Reinhart method (IraMuTeq). Four clusters were identified: Educational Reform, Historical Temporalities, Social Actors, and Epistemological Discourse. These clusters suggest differences in knowledge production within different geopolitical localities. The second study explores these variations by immersing itself in the perspectives and representations articulated by decolonial scholars. The second study is conducted using 12 semi-structured interviews with academics actively engaged in decolonial efforts. The aim of the two studies is to demonstrate regional variations in decolonial discourse and highlight the ongoing influence of geopolitical factors on scientific inquiry.

Framing flooding in African Cities: A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of the phenomenon in the Ghanaian Press

Abstract Increasing climate change and urban planning deficiencies have exacerbated flood disasters in African cities, attracting widespread media discussion and public concern. This study examines the discursive construction of perennial flooding in Accra, in the Ghanaian press, to bring to light how the phenomenon is represented with regards to whether or not it contributes to a proper appreciation of the situation in attempting to address the problem. It uses as dataset an 86,602-word specialised corpus built from news reports on flooding and a 422,436-word reference corpus (written component of International Corpus of English, Ghana). The study employs a Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) approach to explore the discourse using Keyword analysis, Concordance lines and Collocate analysis. Findings revealed framing of perennial flooding in the city as an unwelcome threat, as it is found to colligate with: “problems, damage, death and loss”, giving it a negative discourse prosody. In addition, there is unclear (de)construction of the major cause of the floods in the news, as experts assert that siltation of the drains is the major challenge, but what is often projected by the media as the cause is choked gutters. The findings inform policymakers that robust proactive measures, public education and sensitisation, and a firm commitment on the part of the government in particular are needed to tackle the perennial floods in Accra.

The Space Before the World: Spacing, Archi-texture, and Other Questions of Sexual Difference

This paper investigates the intersection of architecture, philosophy, and sexual difference in Plato’s notion of khōra as it appears in the Timaeus. By engaging first with Jacques Derrida's deconstruction of Plato’s khōra, the paper shows how the interplay between architecture and philosophy not only reflects but also perpetuates patriarchal structures. Khōra, sometimes solely described as a passive receptacle, stages a complex relationship with femininity that challenges traditional notions of space and identity. Drawing on the works of feminist theorists such as Julia Kristeva and Fanny Söderbäck, the paper examines how khōra serves as a foundational moment in the construction of sexual difference within philosophical discourse. Ultimately, this exploration calls for a reimagining of khōra as a site of resistance and transformation—one that, while existing before the architect-demiurge created the universe, nonetheless conditions his work.

Reason to hope

Drucilla Cornell’s legacy defies easy summary. Thrown out of Stanford for protesting the Vietnam War, by the age of 20 she was organizing sweatshop workers for the United Auto Workers. Union organizing led her to law school (her only post-graduate degree is in law) and eventually a job as a law professor. Meanwhile, a defining encounter with Hegel at the age of 15 launched her intellectual trajectory, which would be followed by various schools of post-Hegelian thought (the Frankfurt School, Derridian deconstruction, Lacanian psychoanalysis, among others), feminisms both practical and theoretical, Rawlsian liberalism and, in her final work, African and Afro-Caribbean philosophy (I am leaving aside her plays and book on Clint Eastwood). Ecumenicism of this breadth can be a sign of shallow thinking. In her case, however, she had a sustained engagement with each tradition of thought, aimed at coaxing its essence from its native vocabulary in the faith that productive dialog is possible between radically different, and even opposed, intellectual traditions. In this reminiscence and memorial piece, I remember Drucilla as a teacher, mentor and friend.

Deconstructing Rahwana’s Alternate Character in Neelakantan's Rahwana: Kisah Rahasia through Derrida’s Perspective

This study explored the deconstruction of Rahwana's 'Ravana' character in Anand Neelakantan's novel Rahwana: Kisah Rahasia through the lens of Jacques Derrida's deconstruction theory. The novel narrates Rahwana's journey as he strives to elevate the status of his family and nation. Derrida's deconstruction approach was selected to uncover the complex layers within literary texts, challenging traditional interpretations. As a descriptive-qualitative study, this research analyzed textual evidence from the novel to compare the initial portrayal of Rahwana with his deconstructed character. The findings indicated a complex duality in Rahwana's depiction: while his traditional characterization was marked by ruthlessness, arbitrariness, defiance of divine authority, and ambition, the deconstructed perspective revealed his compassionate, just, devout, and even pessimistic dimensions. These contrasting portrayals underscored the fluidity of Rahwana's character, which was uncovered through the deconstruction. The novelty of this research is to rethink of Rahwana's alternate character from his traditional character embedded in popular puppet stories through a deconstruction approach. Finally, the story of Rahwana has various versions, particularly related to Sinta's abduction. Some stories reveal Rahwana's love for Sinta in romantic ways, while in Neelakantan's novel Rahwana: Kisah Rahasia, Rahwana's love is depicted as a father's love for his daughter, not as a couple romance.

A CRITICAL REVIEW OF INDONESIAN TRADITIONAL PROVERBS BY DERRIDA’S DECONSTRUCTION

Abstrak:This research uses qualitative case studies with Derrida's deconstruction method. The object of research is the text of traditional Indonesian proverbs. The results of the research conclude that several mythical meanings of traditional Indonesian proverb texts can be shifted by another meanings, the analysis shows that the proverb of air beriak tanda tak dalam means someone who talks a lot without knowledge can be reconstructed with meaning “a person who talks a lot is a person with knowledge so it must be present as many arguments as possible.” The proverb of buah jatuh tak jauh dari pohonnya means parents and children have the same temperament and character, can also be reconstructed with meaning “that a child can be shaped by a good or bad environment, not just by the parents.” The proverb of hujan emas di negeri orang, lebih baik di negeri sendiri can be reconstructed also with the meaning of “it would be better live in someone else's country if it can give a guarantee of prosperity”. Finally, the proverb of biar lambat asal selamat can be reconstructed by some meaning based on considerations of effectiveness and efficiency of work. Meaning will continue to move and look for new traces of meaning, therefore meaning is never single and absolute but continue to be born along with each dimension of perspective.

Deconstruction of basic accounting principles through the values of sufism in the Syarah Ḥikam by Sheikh Aḥmad Zarrūq

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to deconstruct the basic principles of accounting, which are often viewed as overly materialistic, by integrating seven Sufi values from the Syarah Ḥikam by Sheikh Aḥmad Zarrūq. This research seeks to create a more balanced accounting paradigm integrating financial gains with moral, social, and spiritual responsibilities.Method - This research utilizes a literature review method with a Derridean deconstruction approach, combining the text of Syarah Ḥikam with accounting literature. The deconstruction process involves identifying the material-spiritual binary to explore the integration of Sufi values into accounting principles.Result - The study's results show that integrating Sufi values strengthens the moral and justice aspects of accounting. This creates a more holistic approach that balances financial profit with spiritual and social responsibilities.Implication - This research has implications for the development of a more ethical and sustainable accounting system that balances material gain with moral and spiritual responsibilities relevant to both business and social practices.Originality - This study is unique in its use of classical Sufi texts to deconstruct the basic accounting principles. This novel approach in modern accounting studies has yet to be widely explored. By integrating spiritual values into accounting, this approach is expected to complement and enrich the current accounting perspectives, aiming not merely for fairness but for truth, fostering a better balance between material aspects and moral, social, and spiritual responsibilities.

European Biometric Border System, Securitization and (Im)mobilities in West Africa

This article interrogates the European biometric ID system and securitisation measures in West African borders which have become detrimental to, first, African migrants and, second, both African and European security objectives. Using the Niger’s experience, we demonstrate how migrants’ identity problems as well as their atomisation and loosening of their social integration are directly linked to the criminalising and dehumanising border security practices they now face. This article reveals the multiple forms and effects of the unimpeded European biometric/digital control over African territorial borderlands and (im)mobilities. First is the subversion of African states’ administrative, decisional, sovereign and territorial prerogatives by way of enacting digital territorial borderscapes that enforce migrants’ identity de(re)construction. Second, the use of ‘biometric power’ to facilitate a specific modality of neoliberal biometric power relations which perpetuates global inequalities in biometric identification and (im)mobility governance. Lastly, migrants’ recourse to agentic mechanisms to contest the European biometric ID system, via discoveries and implantation of parallel border routes.

Princess Mandalika of Lombok: A Gender Equality Hero Defying Power Structures in Folklore

This study aims to reveal a new understanding of Mandalika folklore through Derrida's deconstruction. The goal is to demonstrate that Derrida's approach uncovers objective meanings and offers a theoretical alternative to traditional interpretations. By contextualizing new meanings through deconstruction, the study provides varied insights without relying solely on the author's intended meaning. The research employs Derrida's deconstruction through textual and in-depth analysis, exploring the concept of difference to identify binary contexts in the narrative structure. It includes case studies, comparisons of folkloric versions, interdisciplinary approaches for a comprehensive view, and critical analysis. The process begins with a synopsis representing the entire Mandalika folklore text. Findings indicate that Mandalika folklore’s meanings extend beyond conventional understandings, emerging from dynamic interactions between textual and non-textual elements. These new meanings challenge previous interpretations shaped by authorial authority. The study highlights how Mandalika folklore reflects the patriarchal Sasak society, revealing tragic choices born from social disharmony. It emphasizes the need for the Sasak community to use the Mandalika narrative for reflection and reevaluation of gender relations. The folklore advocates for gender equality, depicting Mandalika as both a hero and a victim of patriarchal norms. This new understanding calls for a reassessment of gender roles and societal expectations.

Making profit from energy transition. Political struggles and accumulation strategies in Guadeloupe

ABSTRACT The electricity industry in Guadeloupe has undergone a rapid transition. In this paper we analyse how this energy transition concretely occurred and what are the implications for industrial players and their accumulation strategies? Energy transition policies are configured by political struggles involving power producers (both incumbents and challengers) to ensure their profitability. We focus specifically on financial relationships and circuits underlying the Guadeloupean electricity industry, arguing that the political (de)construction of these circuits by (public and private) actors is key to better understand the transition process and/or its path-dependence. We identify three different and successive sequences of energy transition, from 2000 to 2023, characterized by different financial circuit architectures and distributive outcomes.

Musings and Meditations on the Edginess and Hatred of Forgiveness

Heeding Frantz Fanon's thoughts on colonialism and forgiveness alongside his call for us to “turn over a new leaf . . . work out new concepts, and try to set afoot a new man,” this text-mediated meditation on the hatred of forgiveness contends with the question/quest of forgiveness and its relevance to our idea of Africa today. To attend to these ethical questions, the author assembles a textual montage by juxtaposing Wole Soyinka's The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness lecture series (1997), with some reflections on for/giving from Nathalie Etoke's Melancholia Africana (2019), Jacques Derrida's deconstruction of forgiveness, and Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela's (2004) attempt to imagine and inhabit a postapartheid South Africa where forgiveness acts as an infinite responsibility to the other. As such, this text-mediated meditation engages the newness, closure, eruption or interruption of violence, and forgiveness characteristic of the African present alongside discourses on African memories of grievances and speculations about the Africa that is yet-to-come.

A critical deconstruction of the predominant evaluative culture for the development of a formative and descriptive evaluation

A critical deconstruction of the predominant evaluative culture for the development of a formative and descriptive evaluation

Performative place branding and Brazilian smart cities: the strategic character of smart city positioning

PurposeThis paper aims to address what it means to brand a city as “smart”. In other words, what ideas, understandings and actions are mobilized by the discourse of smart cities in a particular context.Design/methodology/approachTaking a brand interpretive approach, this paper uses deconstructive criticism to understand the performativity of smart cities within the Brazilian Charter for Smart Cities and to expose hegemonic power structures and the various colonizations that disenfranchise consumers and citizens of the Global South.FindingsThis paper finds that the branding of smart cities within the Brazilian Charter for Smart Cities is largely performative and rhetorical in nature. The authors identify those dimensions of the smart city that are materialized by this branding performance. For example, the authors identify how the Charter calls forth issues around technological solutionism, sustainability and social inclusion. At the same time, the analysis draws attention to the dimensions of smart cities that are disguised by such performances.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of the work suggest that the authors need to understand the designation “smart city” as a branding performance. More research is required in context to determine in exactly what ways smart city projects are being implemented.Practical implicationsRather than adhering only to the rhetoric of smartness, cities have to work hard to make smartness a reality – a smartness constructed not just on technical solutions but also on human solutions. That is, the complexity of urban issues that are apparently addressed in the move to smartness demand more than a technological fix.Originality/valueThe research offers a novel lens through which to view smart cities.

Circular (de)construction matchmaking: A matter of space and time

AbstractIndustrial symbiosis (IS) facilitates the transition toward a circular built environment. Following IS principles, multiple buildings can be symbiotically linked via closed‐loop material flows beyond the boundaries of individual projects. However, there are few IS matchmaking methods that support the identification of IS opportunities among multiple deconstruction and construction projects. This research develops an agent‐based model to fill this gap. The agent architecture is designed based on the concept of shearing layers. Circularity hubs are proposed to support IS matchmaking by allowing larger transportation ranges and keeping IS requests active for longer periods. The model's applicability is demonstrated through an industrial–urban symbiosis case in Enschede, the Netherlands. The model simulates the spatial–temporal dynamics of IS matchmaking as an emergent phenomenon under future scenarios. The results show operational evidence of IS matchmaking via the strategic implementation of circularity hubs. Overall, this research provides a new methodological perspective to explore the circularity in the built environment at scale.

Kathryn Lasky, “Women’s Voice Counts”

The American women did not await the 21st century to express their disapproval of matters of general interest. At every stage of human history, they always assert their presence as agents of social development and promoters of liberties; they prove their ability to serve humanity. In all parts of the world, despite the deliberate ideological restrictions inflicted upon them, they show integrity, decency, and honesty; their pragmatism, literacy, actions, and ideas serve as bow. Those qualities enable them to free themselves from all forms of ostracism and subjugation. Along the march of history, when defending their common cause, some of them sometimes lose their lives, others are incarcerated, but the survivors remain committed and hopeful. They continually fight to climb the social ladder. In socio-professional and political sectors where men are hostile, they demonstrate absolute resilience. A retrospective glance at the US history helps to revivify the American women’s involvement. Labeled as vulnerable and passive beings, they embark on a timeless struggle whose purpose is to restore their tarnished image and dignity. Better still, their awareness enables them to eradicate the prejudices, social inequalities, and barriers, which disadvantage and devalue them. Like other Western countries, the United States has a long tradition of marginalizing women. Its excluding policy is narrowly connected with patriarchal tradition; a practice, which emerges not only in the family sphere, but also on the political stage, where women are deprived of their suffrage. In such circumstances, they suffer from male domination with impunity. That burning social injustice is pictured by writers, such as Kathryn Lasky whose literary works pay tribute to the American suffragists for their boldness and great sense of duty in the construction of democracy in America. As a field par excellence for the symbolization of social facts, literature appears as a location where the American women’s bravery and ingenuity are realistically expressed. Therefore, the study of Laskian female characters’ trajectories through the textual prism is advantageous. For that purpose, the use of Derridean deconstruction as a methodological tool will be helpful. This will scrutinize the political scope of Laskian female characters’ struggle for suffrage through two axes: “A masculinized political system” and “women’s awareness and US democracy.”

African American English: Perspectivas potencializadoras de identidades negras em aulas de língua Inglesa

This qualitative research, developed through a bibliographical study, aims at investigating African American English as an artifact to promote decolonial praxis of English language teaching, enhancing black identities. Put into practice, this means offering a theoretical and practical input so that black educators, who teach the English language, recognize how the target language may be taught and learned, valuing black identities, understanding and resisting the colonial ties which tend to make these bodies invisible throughout the process. Thus, the tensions among language, race and power and their influence on the emergence and resistance of African American English will be considered, focusing on some of its characteristics. From this, the pedagogical benefits which black epistemes can bring to English classes are taken as scope, considering their outcomes to promote a socioculturally significant teaching and learning process to black students, as well as the (de)construction and strengthening of diasporic black identities including the Brazilian context and its specificities underpinned by Amefrican perspective.

Accumulating delay: Filipino Time, COVID-19 and experiences of male returnees in Cebu

Unique to this paper is a gendered examination of return migration from the point of view of male return migrants. I analyze the perspectives of repatriated male migrant workers during their return migration in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a discussion of time as “accumulated delay,” I suggest that the (de)constructions of masculinity concerning overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) experiences of waiting and delay under repatriation and quarantine can be understood through the theoretical lens of immobility in migration research. I suggest that systemic delays in the circulation of global capital, necessitated by the global health pandemic, challenged migrant men’s cohesive narrative of migrant productivity.

The Text beyond Itself: Romani Social Construction in Romanian Secret Police Files

Romanian State Secret Police (Securitate) files produced before 1989 can be accessed today through a lengthy process that requires official research authorization through a government office, the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (Consiliul Național pentru Studierea Arhivelor Securității - CNSAS). The CNSAS General Document Fund includes large issue-related files under the umbrella of “The Gypsy Problem,” with thousands of pages of both national and county-level reports and recommendations. This paper teases out the granular documentary clues (spie, as Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg describes them) in some of the Securitate files to explore the way in which a pattern of documentary communication is built to frame Romani identity as idiosyncratically marginal, oriental, and parasitic. A particularly interesting aspect of the knowledge production imposed through these files is reflected by anecdotes that purportedly illustrate the character of the Roma. This study analyzes the relations of power built through hermeneutic devices and language choices which build “truth formulae” (Weir) that reify a particular view of Romani ethnicity, class, and gender. This archival (de)construction has implications for a long view of policy, political memory, and exclusionary societal attitudes today and in the future.

Correction to: ‘We Never Talked About It at Home’: Diethylstilbestrol, Impacted Families and the (De)construction of Ignorance from Below (Belgium, 1970s–Present)

Correction to: ‘We Never Talked About It at Home’: Diethylstilbestrol, Impacted Families and the (De)construction of Ignorance from Below (Belgium, 1970s–Present)

Analysing the Correlation between Derridian Deconstruction and Absurdist Philosophy through 'Being and Nothingness' by Jean Paul Sartre, 'The Trial' by Franz Kafka, and 'Insects are Just Like You and Me Except Some of Them Have Wings' by Kuzhali Manickavel

This paper expands upon the interconnectedness between the theory of Deconstruction and the philosophy of Absurdism, in corroboration with 'Being and Nothingness' by Jean Paul Sartre, 'Insects are just like you and I except some of them have wings' by Kuzhali Manickavel and 'The Trial' by Franz Kafka; elaborating upon how one is in congruence to the other and how both schools of thought can be applied to social, political and personal spheres.