poststructural anarchism

go ahead mate. is this that 'post-leftist' toss thats prevalent in the states?

Hi

No, unfortunately for us it is not. Enjoy post-structuralism on wiki...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-structuralism

My trouble with post-structuralism is that you need the concepts it attacks to develop an understanding of its position. I personally challenge its authenticity as a philosophical concept, and prefer not to think about it.

I’m surprised at your dislike of PLA pingtiao, what did you find so particularly distasteful about it? I’m OK with PLA lines of thought, but I can’t find a useful, concrete outcome or proposal emerging from the position.

Anyway, cheers

Chris

the idea of a post structuralist anarchism is just academic shite. The worst of it being that it tends to be piss poor post structuralism and even worse anarchism. i mean post structuralism is a fucking hugely divergent "trend", it really is useless trying to narrow it down to an acceptable "politic".

Anyway post structuralism only really makes sense in opposition of strict structuralism which was only ever embraced by cocks reared on a shit reading of Marx eg althusser or elitist technocrats eg althusser.

The problem with all critical theory is that it's all just footnotes to Marx.

post-structuralist anarrrrrrrrghism. :scream:

No please don't discuss it I've had to put up with an American comrade talking incoherant and indecipherable shite that he called post-structuralist anarghism for years now. The closest I've come to understanding it is that its based on a flawed interpretation of (class struggle) anarchism in the first place and puts forward a load of oul shite as the basis for moving forward and beyond the constraints of 'reason' and other such blah.

Really these people, the ones promoting this, are pretty much incapable of meaningful interaction with anyone other than arsehole academics, philosophers and 'post structuralists'. They also tend to entertain so many divergent 'narratives' that they can't seem to maintain a grip on reality.

sorry 'bout that but, I mean fer fuck sake.

Yeah he seems to think that you have a "class narrative", "race narrative", and "gender narrative" that all run parralel. To me this is woeful fragmentation, though all to common amongst academics whose job it is afterall to constrain the world into nice specialised piece meal blocks.

Ironically he accusses us of reductionism whilst we have continually argued that all such narratives are interwoven.

Fuck do you remember when he tried to make Negri's piss poor "post modern republicanism" relevant to everything.

to think he's got a fucking office at Queens, makes me sick!

I am really stuck on post - struc. - and some of it is really incomprehensible. - Try reading Hal Foster for a laugh - I find it incomprehensible.

I have read somewhere on this site that anarchism is dependant on oppositions- which would imply that post - struc. thought is not complimentary : as it seeks to bypass polars.

However I thought "Death of the Author / Birth of the reader" (R. Barthes ?) - has some similarirties with some anarchist stuff?

Also - gender related post - struct thought ie - no essential sex essence, instead gender shaped by social conditions & roles ( Butler, Krisitva, (Derrida?) ) is quite interesting, though not very practical, in terms of struggle.

This stuff is good in theory.

I quite liked 'ideological state apparatuses' Althuser, tho I haven't finished it yet.

Hi

trained_chimp, estimate the net economic benefit that will accrue to me if I adopt a post-structuralist perspective.

Kerching

Chris

Oh dear...

Hi

That's £0.00 then.

Love

Chris

Post-structuralism isn't really as influenial in academic philosophy in Britain and America as people think. Philosophy can broadly be divided into Continental and Analytic (or Anglo-American) philosophy. Post-Structuralism is a school within Continental philosophy and Continental philosophy's position within philosophy departments here is very weak. The top two universities for Continental philosophy are Warwick and Essex, with Middlesex being a minor third. Almost all other universities have either a minor smattering or none whatsoever. All of the Oxbridge Colleges and all of the London Colleges are Analytic-orientated.

A similiar situation is present in America. Places like Stony Brook are Contiental but all the Ivy League universities and all the UC campuses are Analytic. Hegel, Marx and Nietzsche are about the only Continental philosophers one will find consistently taught in Anglo-American universities. Even then, it is from an Analytic perspective.

Of course, outside of philosophy departments is philosophy as it is taught in non-philosophy departments. Because of its nature, philosophy is often taught is other departments (mathematics often teaches philosophy of maths; music, film studies, literature, etc. often teach aesthetics, so on and so forth). Here is where post-structuralism has grounding, especially in the expressive arts. The influence of Bathes's "Death of the Author" on writers such as T.S. Eliot insured a place for post-structuralism in literary circles. It doesn't make it any less wrong, however.

As a philosophy student, trying to go into academia, I intend to just ignore it until it goes away. It has been in decline over the last decade.

Be well,

Rob Mills

Hi

Interesting assumption. Most people I know have a very accurate estimation of its influence.

Love

Chris

Maybe it's because of the respective influences of Continental philosophy in non-philosophy departments. I can't speak for all but in my experience, many have assumed that Continental philosophy would be as influential in philosophy departments. Maybe I have just met the wrong people.

Be well,

Rob Mills

Hi

Definitely. Most people without your educational credentials share your appraisal of its worth.

Love

Chris

I'm not sure its entirely without worth, it did question some assumptions (such as the example of Bathes's "Death of the Author" which, though I think its false, did force people to defend otherwise unquestioned premises). So I'll respect it for that.

Oh, and to remove a possible confusion, when I posted initially, I wasn't claiming that people here were over-estimating its influence, it was just a point I though relevant given some other people's attacks on it.

Be well,

Rob Mills

Hi

Fair enough. Allysaundre, do you recommend I adopt a more poststructuralist perspective?

Kerching

Chris

Only if your literary theory is rigidly intentionalist...

Be well,

Rob Mills

Hi

Hang on, that's a bit harsh. That was a serious philosophical point I was trying to make. Stand by for a dissing on "+ insults" soon.

Love

Chris

Some poststructuralism is good,Foucault, Deleuze some confusing, Derrida, Lyotard. Poststructuralist anarchism seems to confuse lifestylist postructuralism with class-struggle anarchism. Class-struggle anarchism has better answers than poststructuralism. It doesn't seek to deny the fact that people, or subjects, actually exist, and have problems. Also it's not essentialist, people are not inately good, it says, they are either good or bad depending a lot on the political system. Postructuralist anarchism is anarchism that has been detached from any kind of struggle whatsoever. But anarchism reaches the same conclusions, only two hundred years before, without the jargon, and with a lot more chance of making sense to the average punter. There was an article in Anarchist studies that said the aims and priciples of the AF were poststructuralist, but whadda they know?

Poststructuralist anarchism seems to confuse lifestylist postructuralism with class-struggle anarchism.

How? what do you mean?

It doesn't seek to deny the fact that people, or subjects, actually exist, and have problems. - Yeah, this happens alot which is really upsetting. I have tried and tried to understand Jean Bauldriilard, all reality is simulation, unreallity, hyperreality etc. It still makes nosense to me.

Also Judith Bulter recons u can use parody as an effective tactic... which is pants. ( Circa?)

how do I quote, it never seems to work?

either hit the quote button next to the post you want to quote.

or put

[quote]text you want to quote[/quote]

it never seems to work?

Fucking cuntings.. sorry, what a dick.

Is black block really class stuggle? What has this tactic done for the working classes? I am not be sarcy.

Parody can be quite unclear. I saw the video of the clowns chasing the pigs on indymedia, so i guess it can work sometimes. But in a lot of situations parody is related to privalege. I would prefer to be the change rather then satirse, isnt this more effective?

I mean, how long does a parody action last? The clowns are not creating anything permanent, permanently reclaiming power. It lasts as long as the action...I guess it can be a good tactic on actions though.

I think satire, parody and humour are very powerful. However I don't see anything satirical, parodying or humourous in CIRCA - well, not in the sense they mean it anyway. They're an amusing satirical parody of anarchism, but that's about it.

*looks nervously at username tag*

Edit: I changed it now.