explanation of structuralism and post-structuralism --- Structuralism and poststructuralism have been widely influential within cultural studies because both schools of thought focus on how meaning is made, and meaning-making is an essential function of culture. Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry concerned with the intersection of power and meaning in popular culture. Structuralism is a theoretical approach that identifies patterns in social arrangements, mostly notably language. While poststructuralism builds on the insights of structuralism, it holds all meaning to be fluid rather than universal and predictable. Both structuralism and post-structuralism are important theoretical influences in cultural studies and have enabled the field to explore culture as a set of signifying practices. That said, all three of the key terms in this equation – cultural studies, structuralism, and poststructural-ism – are contestable, and the intellectual terrain they cover is vast. To make the task almost manageable it is necessary to adopt a broadly historical approach, and as a way of anchoring the slippery notion of cultural studies it is useful to focus on the work of Stuart Hall as the discipline's quintessential figure. Structuralism as a term refers to various theories across the humanities, social sciences and economics many of which share the assumption that structural relationships between concepts vary between different cultures/languages and that these relationships can be usefully exposed and explored.

More accurately it could be described as an approach in academic disciplines in general that explores the relationships between fundamental principal elements in language, literature, and other fields upon which some higher mental, linguistic, social, or cultural "structures" and "structural networks" are built. Through these networks meaning is produced within a particular person, system, or culture. This meaning then frames and motivates the actions of individuals and groups. In its most recent manifestation, structuralism as a field of academic interest began around 1958 and peaked in the late 1960s and early 1970s

Source author: Mohammad Daud Mahmoody dauodmahmoody@gmail.com