Flipped Learning Activity: Derrida and Deconstruction

            This blog is a flipped learning activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad, Head of the English Department, MKBU. It explores Derrida's concept of Deconstruction, which challenges fixed meanings and binary oppositions in texts. The activity encouraged critical thinking and deeper engagement with literary theory, For more reading click here and click here.

Video 1: Defining Deconstruction

• Why is it difficult to define Deconstruction?

• Is Deconstruction a negative term?

• How does Deconstruction happen on its own?

1] Why is it difficult to define Deconstruction?

Deconstruction is difficult to define because, as explained in the video, it is not a fixed theory or method but a critical practice that questions the stability of meaning, language, and binary oppositions and also showing showing that every attempt to define something already relies on assumptions deconstruction aims to challenge.

2] Is Deconstruction a negative term?

No, deconstruction is not a negative term. In this video explain, it doesn't aim to destroy meaning but to question hidden assumptions and open up new interpretations. It’s a critical tool to understand how meaning is built and how it can shift, not to tear texts apart.

3]How does Deconstruction happen on its own?

In this vide explain, Deconstruction takes place naturally because each text contains hidden conflicts and unclear meanings. According to Derrida, we don’t have to apply anything from outside—the text begins to undo its fixed meaning on its own when examined carefully.

Video 2: Heideggar and Derrida

1]The influence of Heidegger on Derrida

Heidegger influenced Derrida by challenging metaphysical traditions and emphasizing the role of language. Derrida built on this by focusing on writing over speech. This led to his method of deconstruction to reveal hidden meanings.

2]Derridean rethinking of the foundations of Western philosophy

Derrida rethinks Western philosophy by questioning its core binaries like speech/writing and presence/absence. He challenges the idea of fixed meaning and absolute truth. Through deconstruction, he exposes hidden contradictions in philosophical texts.

Video 3: Saussurean and Derrida

                       

1]Ferdinand de Saussureian concept of language (that meaning is arbitrary, relational, constitutive)
According to Saussure, meaning in language is arbitrary—there's no natural link between words and their meanings. It is relational, formed through differences between signs. Meaning is also constitutive, created within the language system, not outside it.

2]How Derrida deconstructs the idea of arbitrariness?
Derrida deconstructs Saussure’s idea of arbitrariness by showing that meaning is not just arbitrary but also unstable and deferred. Through his concept of différance, he argues that the signified is never fully present. Meaning constantly shifts in context and never reaches a final, fixed point.

3]Concept of metaphysics of presence
The metaphysics of presence is the belief that true meaning or reality is directly accessible and fully present. Derrida deconstructs this by showing that meaning always depends on absence and difference. Language never gives full presence—meaning is always postponed and constructed through signs.

Video 4: DifferAnce

                 

1] Derridean concept of DifferAnce
Derrida’s concept of différance combines two ideas: difference (meaning comes from differences between words) and deferral (meaning is always delayed). A word gets meaning not from itself but from what it is not. Thus, meaning is never fixed; it always shifts in context.

2] Infinite play of meaning
The idea of infinite play of meaning means that words never have one fixed meaning. A word gets its meaning by being different from other words. Because this difference keeps changing, the meaning also keeps changing and is never final.

3] DIfferAnce = to differ + to defer
According to the video, Différance = to differ + to defer. Derrida uses this term to show that,
Differ:- means a word gets meaning by being different from other words.
Defer:- means meaning is always postponed—we never reach a final, full meaning.
So, meaning is never fixed; it keeps changing through time and context.

Video 5: Structure, Sign and Play

1] Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences

In “Structure, Sign and Play,” Derrida argues that all structures depend on a central point (the “center”) that tries to fix meaning. He shows that this center is not stable, leading to “free play” of meaning within the structure. This challenges traditional ideas of fixed truth and opens the way for deconstruction.

2] Explain: "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique.

"The quote "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique" means that language is not a perfect or neutral tool—it contains contradictions and limits. Since meaning in language is never fixed and always shifting, language must be questioned from within. Derrida suggests that language naturally leads us to critique its own structures, revealing hidden assumptions and the instability of meaning.

Video 6: Yale School

1] The Yale School: the hub of the practitioners of Deconstruction in the literary theories

The Yale School was the center for literary theorists who practiced Derridean deconstruction. Thinkers like Paul de Man, J. Hillis Miller, and Geoffrey Hartman showed how texts deconstruct themselves. They revealed internal contradictions in literature, challenging fixed meaning and authorial control.

2] The characteristics of the Yale School of Deconstruction

According to this video, The characteristics of yale School of Deconstruction, 

here are main Characteristics,

1)lose reading

2)Textual self-deconstruction

3)Instability of meaning

 The Yale School focused on deconstructing literary texts by exposing their internal contradictions.

Video 7: Other Schools and Deconstruction

1] How other schools like New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, Feminism, Marxism and Postcolonial theorists used Deconstruction?

According  to this video ,Other schools used deconstruction to reveal hidden power structures and challenge dominant ideologies in texts. They showed how meanings are unstable and shaped by history, class, gender, or colonial context. Deconstruction helped them question fixed truths and expose internal contradictions in cultural and literary systems.

Thank you!!