#6 Theory Toolbox

Chapter 9 of “The Theory Toolbox” concentrates on posts.

Postmodernism is a complex concept that encompasses things that have “a sense of disjunction or deliberate confusion, irony, playfulness, reflexivity, a kind of cool detachment, a deliberate foregrounding of constructedness, a suspicion concerning neat or easy conclusion.” Postmodernism rejects the rigidity of the past in art and film, for example, and is original and flashy.

Structuralism is a movement in the humanities and social sciences. It greatly influenced anthropology, ethnography, linguistics, and literary criticism and concentrates on the study of symbol systems. Poststructuralists question structuralism because symbol systems are not universal.

Postcolonialism focuses on the examination of and responses to colonialism. Its primary goal is to fight the lasting effects of colonialism on cultures through the understanding of how the world can move past the period of colonialism.

These chapters can provide me with guidance of the post theories as I put together my research project. Even if I do not choose one the previous theories as the theoretical framework of my project, reading Chapter 9 of “The Theory Toolbox” and understanding the theories will likely enable me to comprehend complex terms while gathering research for the project.