Poststructuralist Perspective Research Articles

Multiliteracy Play: Designs and Desires in the Second Language Classroom (Book Review)

Notable paradigmatic shifts in second language education have taken place over the course of the last several decades. During the mid-1990s, the ‘social turn’ was marked by moves away from the understanding of second language acquisition as a purely cognitive process toward a more holistic understanding of a language learner’s agency and situatedness within dynamic sociolinguistic contexts (Ellis, 2021). Over the last 10 years, the ‘multilingual turn’ has built upon the social turn to include critical and post-structural perspectives that address sociocultural and sociolinguistic power dynamics. These perspectives value learners’ fluid multilingual competencies, such as translanguaging, in an increasingly globalized world (Ellis, 2021). Presently, this shift continues to drive increased interest in linguistic plurality, multimodal learning and expression, and what is known as multiliteracies (Zapata et al., 2023). Multiliteracies refers to a theoretical and practical approach to literacy pedagogy developed by the New London Group (1996) which calls for educators to acknowledge the ever-increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of modern globalized societies as well as the increasingly diverse forms of texts, information, and technologies that circulate throughout them. In doing so, educators can better engage the contextual discourses, or “lifeworlds,” of learners, providing opportunities for the process of agentive (re)design, or meaning-making. In Multiliteracy Play: Designs and Desires in the Second Language Classroom, Chantelle Warner builds upon the New London Group’s framework by providing a vision for further realizing the current paradigmatic shift in second language teaching. The author’s core argument is that multiliteracy play, described as creative (and sometimes subversive) “tinkering” with linguistic, cultural, and semiotic meaning, further emphasizes and explores facets of the second language learning process that remain neglected: affect, aesthetic, design, and desire. [First Paragraph]

Urbanization of consciousness or maintaining rurality: What tourism workers tell from social identity theory perspectives

In the current study, whether tourism creates an urbanization effect on consciousness or creates no change is examined from the perspective of social identity theories. People who earn money from tourism in Yesiluzumlu that receives amenity migration were selected as the research population. According to the information obtained, the number of enterprises in the neighborhood was lower than 30. Assuming that there were 29 enterprises, the sample constituted 55% of the population through purposive sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants and the data obtained was subjected to discourse analysis which is composed of post-structuralist perspective as epistemological structure. The study makes a contribution to the literature on rural-urban interaction in tourism and brings into question the transformative effect of tourism on social identity. It illustrates the problems in the settlement that may be caused by the construction activities that is synonymous in the participants’ minds with urbanization and without neglecting the stimulating effect of urban consciousness, underlines mutual value creation between urbanity and rurality is an option in a way that the level of urbanization in the touristic settlement remains controlled.

Peace communication: a transdisciplinary perspective for peace at the intersection of cultural, peace and communication studies

ABSTRACT Peacebuilding involves cultural transformations communicated through discourses, and these transformations mostly occur through hybridisation. Thus, for peace to permeate the everyday, communication is vital. Unless communication entails a horizontal dialogue based on empathy and mutual recognition, it would result in an anti-dialogue causing hegemonic power dynamics to sustain the position of the dominant in subjugating the other. In this respect, reconceptualisation of self-other relations is needed towards establishing more equitable relations. From a poststructuralist perspective, the recognition of the role of discourses and the impact of cultural significations must be critically analysed towards examining the existing power relations which shape the everyday and hence stand in the way of the horizontal, mutual and empathetic relations. Thus, the failure of implanting peacebuilding projects into conflict zones involves a communication problem. Coming from these standpoints, we argue that integrating theories from within communication research and cultural studies is crucially needed for better peacebuilding practices.

Etnicidad, agencia y política en el estado multicultural colombiano

In this essay, an attempt will be made to think of the places of enunciation, the languages, and the semantics of Afro-descendant ethnic communities as places of tension with the hegemonic discourses of the academic canon still in force in State institutions and orthodox academics, and that, nevertheless, they constitute a space for the development of the imaginary of the multicultural State in Colombia. Tension to which critical insights can be made, especially from a poststructuralist perspective (FOUCAULT, 1977) without guarantees or definitive closures, as well as from a postcolonial perspective (HALL, 2008), to think about the semantics of multiculturalism as a scenario of enunciative possibilities of man, territory, and intersubjective relationships (HABERMAS, 1998). It is intended here, therefore, to account for the importance of cultural prerogatives, especially those of ethnic groups, to constitute a new key social agreement in the development of a new dimension of the human being in contemporary society (LATOUR, 2017).

Inclusive education policymaking in a multi-level governance education system: the case of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR)

ABSTRACT The multi-level governance education system in Sweden is complex, comprising many actors. This study focuses on one of them, which is thus far very under-researched: the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR, in Swedish SKR). We examine SALAR’s policymaking through a critical policy analysis of its policy document on the topic of inclusive education (IE). We take a poststructural perspective utilizing the analytical approach What’s the Problem Represented to be? (WPR), developed by Bacchi and Goodwin. We have identified problem representations, assumptions, and absences in the policy. The key finding is that SALAR uses the concept of IE, even though it is only vaguely defined, to govern school staff into self-governance by appealing to their presumed inclination to do ‘right’ by children, while simultaneously directing focus away from structural factors for which SALAR’s members are responsible. From a wider perspective, this is important because it shows how policy on IE is particularly well suited for governing towards self-governance in education practices, due to its positive connotations, and ambiguous meaning, which can be filled with whatever content suits the policy actor’s agenda.

Post-Bruner Reflections on the Human Mind

AbstractAfter a short presentation of some key aspects of Jerome Bruner’s theories of the mind, this paper aims to assess his thinking on the mind in light of a broader context. This is done from three different angles: (1) By focusing on Roman Jakobson’s theories about language, which Bruner refers to. (2) By bringing in some post-structuralist perspectives that problematize narratives and logocentric entrenchments in scientific thinking. (3) By analyzing the eighteenth-century German discussion among Christian Wolff, Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten and Immanuel Kant about the role of metaphysics in their understanding of psychology. The findings indicate that Roman Jakobson, with his poetic understanding of language, may point to a valid path for future research on the mind. Moreover, Jakobson’s understanding is also compatible with Baumgarten’s use of poetic aspects. Both manage to subvert the logocentric aspect of humans’ use of language and by this demonstrate how metacognition has to be understood through esthetic functions that go beyond a logocentric use of language. The Wolffian emphasis on mathematics and logic in Wolff’s understanding of psychology is comparable with many of the premises for the cognitive revolution in the 1950s. The Kantian focus on concepts and rule-governed understanding also points in this direction. Bruner seems to ignore the historical background for discussions of psychology in the twentieth century, and because of this has problems moving beyond the logocentric premises that govern most of the cognitive sciences.

Las Polémicas de la Relación Espacio Social y su Influencia en la Forma Urbana en Ciudades Contemporáneas

This essay explores the polemics of the concept “social spatial.” Four main axes of thought can be distinguished: social space as the material environment of social groups; social space as a relational establishment of positions; social space as a dialectical approach to the society-space relationship; and, finally, the threads of constructivism that question the opposition of society and space from a post-structural perspective. This essay attempts to situate these four perspectives within the literature that pays attention to social theory, social geography, urban studies and their implications for the spatial professions of urban planning, urban design, architecture and civil engineering. These four perspectives of social space are complementary from a theoretical point of view. Its application in social research often occurs simultaneously within and among different disciplines, depending largely on the object of analysis, and how geography is defined. I argue that these four theoretical perspectives define geography differently as either functional space, central places, territoriality, or lived places. Moreover, these perspectives and their respective definitions of geography influence practice and professional policy that affect urban form. This essay pays attention to the link between knowledge and practice that have created contemporary socio-spatial environments.

A society of migration: Poststructuralist perspectives on the constitution of society and the production of migration

This article addresses the gap in sociological theory concerning the politics of ‘migration’ – even though this area of politics and the debates surrounding it are of social salience and relevance. Both in social theory (the question of what society actually is or how it is constituted) and in the social analysis of modernity, the topic of migration plays a role no more than en passent. Nevertheless, there are sociological theories that allow us to shed light on debates, practices, institutions, and infrastructures of migration. The article focuses on poststructuralist and postcolonial theories in order to think modern society as ‘society of migration’, i.e. as a society which is constituted by the production of migration and migrants, as well as by the migrant subjects themselves.

Cultural Scaffolding and Dark Triad: A Feminist Poststructuralist Perspective on Male Perpetrators of Domestic Violence and Abuse

Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is under-reported, under-prosecuted and under-convicted. The apparent ineffectiveness of policy approaches in reducing the incidence of DVA, or mitigating its social and economic costs, forms the backcloth of my enquiry.I explore the processes by which heterosexual women enter, endure, and leave abusive relationships. Using narrative-style interviews, I worked with 14 women with a wide range of characteristics in terms of age, ethnicity, physicality, and socio-economic status.I examine the space between normalised heterosexual relationships and abuse. I shine a spotlight on the full range of perpetrators’ behaviours that entrap and oppress their female partners, and identify four key domains in which the coercive tactics of the abuser work to: Ensnare his victim; dismantle her previous identities; prevent her from leaving the relationship; and punish her for leaving.From a feminist poststructuralist perspective, participants’ experiences of entering, enduring and exiting abusive relationships can be read as part of the wider cultural scaffolding (Gavey, 2019) of heteropatriarchy, which left them exposed to ensnarement and exploitation. Using dark triad (Paulhus, 2014) as a model for conceptualising perpetrators’ manipulation of their ex-partners, their children, and professionals, I offer an alternative to traditional psychology’s way of understanding men’s abuse of their female partners.

Poststructural Perspectives in English Teaching in Rural Colombia

This reflective theoretical article explores the intersection of poststructuralist perspectives and English Language Teaching (ELT) trends, specifically in rural areas of Colombia, addressing language policies that prioritize the utilitarian aspects of English while neglecting its intercultural essence. The objective is to advocate for a poststructuralist approach in reshaping English language education in rural Colombian contexts, challenging utilitarian paradigms to promote inclusivity, equity, and social justice within language learning frameworks. Drawing on extensive research and the author’s ongoing doctoral studies, the paper explores intricate connections among linguistic trends, power dynamics, and language ideologies within ELT. The paper discusses the implications of poststructuralism in Colombian ELT, emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift. Embracing a more inclusive perspective, the study highlights the transformative potential of poststructuralist frameworks in fostering equitable language education.

Social Media Empowerment: Constructing Maternal Autonomy for New Generation Urban Mothers

With changes in social structures and cultural perceptions, urban new-generation mothers of children with autism face multiple challenges in their maternal practices, including traditional gender norms, economic burdens, and constraints of the healthcare system. From both structural and post-structural perspectives, this study employs netnography to analyze the interactions of mothers on Xiaohongshu and WeChat communities. The findings reveal that under the dual pressures of traditional gender roles and various social structures, these mothers gain significant informational and emotional support through social media. This empowerment enhances their informed decision-making and choices, alleviates feelings of isolation and anxiety in the parenting process, and promotes personalized and diverse expressions of motherhood. Social media functions not only as a support tool but also as an empowerment platform, helping mothers find autonomy and self-expression within societal structures.

Architectures of Terror

International Relations theory, in spite of having undergone several epistemic iterations, continues to analyze urban warfare via outdated perspectives. This is exemplified in the state-centric analyses that dominate the literature on the history of Israel-Palestine. There is an overwhelming concentration on policy and belligerent behaviors and little to no consideration of anthropocentric perspectives. This results in a near-total exclusion of human suffering from discussions of the conflict and its impacts on everyday civilian life, which in turn heavily alters the socio-political foundations. The academic domains of critical theory and human geography have, however, made good progress in capturing the severity of these discourses, enabling a nuanced understanding of the manner in which conflict management takes place. This paper aims to unify these perspectives and in so doing, expand the grammar of realpolitik – identifying it as a competent domain of IR that primarily focuses on conflict and its modalities. Making use of diffractive reading and analysis, this paper showcases the impact of realpolitik from the perspective of those affected. The aim is to inject empathy into contemporary mainstream discussions that deal with complex geopolitical situations such as Israel-Palestine. To that end, post-structuralist perspectives from continental philosophy, human and critical geography and affect theory are employed. Additionally, the philosophy of realism is theorized to be the epistemic foundation of realpolitik, and is subsequently dissected. The paper concludes by arguing for interdisciplinary approaches into the existing subject matter of realpolitik, a re-evaluation of the epistemic foundations and reflections on practical novelties. Note that this paper in no way aims to suggest political solutions, legal interventions or strategic shifts, but rather interprets the methods of urban warfare used by the Israeli Defense Forces, which defies traditional operational logic.

Towards a critical consideration of the effects of coaching practice on athletic retirement: a poststructuralist perspective

ABSTRACT Dominant understandings of sports retirement have tied problematic outcomes to individual characteristics and the circumstances of an athlete’s exit from sport. In recent years, sociologists have problematised these readings, providing new ways of thinking about retirement transitions, experiences, and relationships. This area of research considers how an exposure to normalising arrangements of power might produce challenging responses to athletic retirement. Accordingly, scholars have drawn upon Foucauldian theory to reveal how the disciplinary logic of modern coaching can impact upon retirement experiences. However, there remains limited empirical research exploring the effects that the approaches, attitudes, and practices of coaching practitioners may have upon retirees’ post-athletic lives. Developing poststructuralist analyses of athletic retirement, this paper seeks to stimulate a further consideration of the retirement process within coaching research. Specifically, this ‘new horizons’ paper does so by advocating for a broader empirical exploration into the connection between sports coaching and sports retirement.

UNFOLDING THE VISUAL ABBREVIATIONS: A SEMIOTIC READING OF ACADEMY AWARD- WINNING FILM PARASITE DIRECTED BY BONG JOON-HO

The film has a strong relationship with language as both are means of communication. Film’s affinity to language is also because both carry ideas in the form of signs. When language uses graphic and phonemic signs for signification, films use visual signs. From a poststructuralist perspective, the signs in a visual narrative make multiple readings possible as in written and spoken language, and make film a visual art that gives its viewers an aesthetic experience. The transition of film from the silent era to the digital age as a result of the revolutionary developments in cinematographic techniques has increased the possibilities for multiple interpretations. This paper attempts a semiotic analysis of the Academy Award-winning film Parasite by applying the concepts of theorists like Christian Metz and Roland Barthes. The paper begins with the major arguments put forth by Christian Metz regarding the sign and its application in film and proceeds to explain the five codes in semiotics proposed by Roland Barthes. The paper concludes with the application of these concepts in analyzing the visual signifiers in the film Parasite to justify that semiotics have educated the audience in analyzing film to explore its connotative meanings.

Embracing diversity under isolation and cease-fire: a poststructuralist look at administrators’ policy on multilingualism

Although multilingualism in higher education context continues to garner increasing scholarly interest, research remains scarce on school administrators’ policies on multilingualism. To the best of our knowledge, this study constitutes one of the very few attempts to tackle this issue in higher education context and the first of its kind to pursue such endeavour in North Cyprus setting. This study seeks to investigate, through a post-structuralist perspective, the perceptions and policies of multilingualism by the director and assistant directors of an English preparatory school in a North Cyprus university which has flourished as a haven for international education. The study combines a multiplicity of data through semi-structured interviews and informal chats to provide a richer insight into the multifaceted case being investigated. The findings demonstrate that administrators regard multilingualism as a seal of internationalism and educational quality. They remain hesitant and even mostly sceptical, however, about whether translingual practice could offer any meaningful contribution to language learning processes. Although poststructuralist understanding considers truth and identity to be decentred and forever changing, and despite the scope of our study being limited to one particular institution only, our findings promise great potential for inspiring reflection and research in other universities in North Cyprus and elsewhere, which similarly aspire to international competition in higher education.

School physical education and disabled students: what about Paralympic sports?

ABSTRACT School physical education (PE) has been presented as a privilege for socially dominant groups recognized by their non-disabled bodies. This study aims to investigate the introduction of a 5-week Paralympic sports unit into the PE curriculum as an educational right for disabled students through its recognition as official knowledge representative of their physical abilities and educational right in PE classes. With a poststructuralist perspective, we reflect on dominant discourses on disability in the school PE field and highlight traditional practices and beliefs that pertain to disabled students. Accordingly, we conducted interviews and focus group discussions with one disabled student, his peers and their PE teacher, allowing for the exploration of values, beliefs and practices associated with disability before and after the Paralympic sports unit. Participants’ comments were subjected to interpretative thematic analysis. Paralympic sports enabled the disabled student to recognize and express their identity by critically questioning PE normative practices. Furthermore, Paralympic sports in the PE curriculum was presented as a strategy to raise non-disabled students’ disability awareness rather than as disabled students’ educational right. Paralympic sports constitutes a crucial aspect of the path towards inclusive education grounded in the values of equity and disability identity recognition.

What is the Problem of Gender Inequality Represented to be in Inter-National Development Policy in Burkina Faso?

This article contributes to critical policy analysis scholarship from a post-structuralism perspective. Employing the ‘What’s the problem represented to be’ (WPR) framework, a Foucault-influenced post-structural approach, we investigate what is the problem of Gender Inequality (GI) represented to be in development in Burkina Faso. Based on systematic analysis of selected (inter)national development policy documents and in-depth stakeholder interviews, our results show two main categories of problem representations: a) local culture/ informal structures that strengthen and are strengthened by patriarchy, and b) women’s weak agency that undermine their effective participation. These problem representations are framed from two different but overlapping standpoints: rights and development. Furthermore, the informal structures are presented as the source of the problem of GI while formal structures are portrayed as the solution. The underlying assumptions ignore the gendered impacts of history, colonial legacies, the interconnectedness and often-conflicting state policies and globalisation. Consequently, the problem of GI is depoliticised, rendered local, technical, and static. This deflects responsibility in solving the problem, limits local agency and the exploration of effective cultural and bottom-up policy responses. Alternatively, GI could be represented as a problem of structural unequal power relations – rather than a simplistic blame of local culture.

Meta Style: The Visual Maze of AIGC Art

This article aims to explore whether the visual style in AIGC art is constrained by certain factors that hinder the emergence of new styles and to analyze possible paths beyond this limitation. Methodologically, the article first deconstructs and subverts established visual rules in AIGC art from a post-structuralist perspective. Subsequently, it analyzes the limitations that AIGC art currently faces in innovation, namely, excessive reliance on imitating existing styles, from a perspective of technological philosophy. Finally, it proposes breakthroughs in style innovation for AIGC art through diversified training data, human-machine collaboration, and assimilating multicultural resources. The conclusion suggests that there is potential to surpass the 'visual maze' in AIGC art, but it requires progress in various aspects such as data, models, human-machine interaction to achieve this breakthrough. This will not only promote the development of AIGC art itself but also enrich the aesthetic experience of humanity.

The Interplay of Identity Construction and Motivational Development in Chinese Heritage Language Learning: Confrontation between Individual Agency and Hegemonic Social Discourse

This study explores the intricate relationship between identity construction and motivational development in Chinese Heritage Language (CHL) learners. Drawing on the narratives of three CHL learners in the UK, the research employs a post-structuralist perspective and the Heritage Language Identity Development Model (HLIDM) to analyze the dynamic interplay of personal histories, spatial contexts, and relational experiences in shaping learners’ identities and motivations. The findings underscore the pivotal role of accepting one’s Chinese identity in shaping motivations to learn CHL. However, this acceptance is not passive but emerges from active societal participation and the exercise of individual agency. The study also highlights the significant influence of societal hegemonic discourses, particularly those related to authenticity, which can impact learners’ motivations negatively. The research concludes by emphasizing the need for a more inclusive understanding of Chinese identity and a challenge to dominant discourses on authenticity to support effective CHL learning.

„Święta misja profesora Abronsiusa”. Fantazmaty, abiektalność i transgresje w filmie Romana Polańskiego "Nieustraszeni pogromcy wampirów"

“The Sacred Mission of Professor Abronsius:” Phantasms, The Abject, and Transgression in Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers is usually approached in film and cultural studies from a genological perspective: as a game with the convention and genres, a work that has the features of parody and pastiche, yet complies with the poetics of horror. When interpreting and analyzing the picture, it seems worthwhile to employ phantasmatic criticism drawing on the psychoanalytic theory of culture and consider the issue of the abject and transgressive nature of vampiric heroes. This leads to the exegesis of the film from a poststructuralist perspective with a focus on the existential and sexual aspects of vampirism, a topos analyzed by Maria Janion in terms of being a bloodsucker in the face of death, in the face of sex, and in the face of the tragic human condition. The ontic status of the beast seems to be particularly noteworthy if you consider its evolutionary aspect and the role that Polanski’s film played in this regard.