The gradual emergence of the ‘post-‘as prefix in the discourses of popular culture, academic enquiry and the social sciences have been overlooked and categorically neglected. Yet when encountered at a semantic level and part of morphological compounds such as post-colonial, post-modern, post-human or post-liberal [among others] one displays certain conservativeness with respect to its precise meaning(s) and semantic value(s) depending upon the free morpheme the post- adds itself to. This skepticism and semantic doubt is not external to the post-as-prefix but is inherent to its interior structure as an ‘undecidable’ belonging outside the logic of binary production. This essay would attempt to trace this post-as-prefix as a Derridean supplement [undecidable] that both adheres to and deviates from the semantic value of its root term, thereby displaying a double attitude of fidelity and infidelity towards it. It would further explain the ‘post-as-prefix‘, among other such supplemental bound morphemes [neo-, pan- or trans-] that indicate the coming of a new epoch in social, cultural and political spaces in the world, an epoch that reveals and revels in the true nature of the linguistic sign [as a supplement for the thing], and subsequently the true movement of history and historical production.
Table of Contents
1. The 'Post-' as Prefix in Popular Culture and the Social Sciences: or the Coming of the ‘Derridean Undecidables’
1.1 Abstract
2. The "post-" as fidelity and infidelity
3. A Double Bind: the Supplement at the Origin
4. The supplement as a polyseme: how the post-as-prefix reforms the free morpheme
5. [The post-] before and after the event
6. The Coming of the Undecidables
Objectives & Core Themes
This essay explores the prefix 'post-' as a Derridean 'undecidable' or 'supplement,' examining how it functions within academic and popular discourse to simultaneously adhere to and subvert the meaning of the root words it attaches to. The research investigates the linguistic and political implications of this prefix, arguing that it acts as a mechanism of 'supplantation' that obscures original meanings and creates virtual histories.
- The semiotic function of the 'post-' prefix as a Derridean supplement.
- The law of simultaneous adherence and disjunction in linguistic formations.
- The relationship between 'post-' prefixes and the erasure of origin.
- Political and historical consequences of employing 'post-' terminology in the social sciences.
Excerpt from the Book
The "post-" as fidelity and infidelity
The most apparent alteration the post-as-prefix commits upon the meaning of the root word is twofold: it 'adds to' or 'extends' what the root word means and encapsulates (its functions and its principles), that is, it provides an ‘addition of signification’ to the root term, but alternatively and simultaneously, it 'goes against', or 'subtracts' [and hence divides: “rupture and a redoubling” (Writing 351)] through critique and reevaluation, what the sign had previously signified or referred to. This can be called the first law of the post-as-prefix: the law of simultaneous adherence and disjunction. I would like to simplify this assertion with an example.
I placed a jar in Tennessee, And round it was, upon a hill. It made the slovenly wilderness Surround that hill.
The wilderness rose up to it, And sprawled around, no longer wild. The jar was round upon the ground And tall and of a port in air. (Stevens 76)
Chapter Summaries
1. The 'Post-' as Prefix in Popular Culture and the Social Sciences: or the Coming of the ‘Derridean Undecidables’: Introduces the thesis that the 'post-' prefix functions as an overlooked 'undecidable' that resists binary logic.
2. The "post-" as fidelity and infidelity: Analyzes the dual role of the prefix as an addition to meaning and a subtractive, critical force that ruptures the root word.
3. A Double Bind: the Supplement at the Origin: Discusses the paradox of the prefix acting as a supplement that arrives before the event it supposedly follows.
4. The supplement as a polyseme: how the post-as-prefix reforms the free morpheme: Explores how the prefix reforms and corrupts the originality of the root term through continuous supplementation.
5. [The post-] before and after the event: Examines the diachronic nature of the prefix in relation to history and the concept of the 'event' within language.
6. The Coming of the Undecidables: Concludes by positioning the 'post-' prefix within a wider chain of non-synonymous substitutions that threaten to dismantle monolithic signifiers of power and truth.
Key Terms
Post-as-prefix, Undecidable, Supplement, Derrida, Pharmakon, Erasure, Signifier, Signified, Binary, Metanarrative, Hegemony, Semantics, Morpheme, Post-modernism, Post-colonialism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic work?
The work examines the linguistic function of the 'post-' prefix as a Derridean 'supplement' or 'undecidable' within popular culture and the social sciences.
What are the central thematic fields covered in this essay?
The core themes include semiotics, Derridean deconstruction, the philosophy of language, historical production, and the critical analysis of compound terms like 'post-modern' or 'post-colonial'.
What is the central research question or objective?
The objective is to trace how the 'post-' prefix acts as an undecidable that simultaneously maintains and subverts the meaning of its root word, thereby challenging the stability of linguistic signs.
Which scientific methodology does the author apply?
The author employs a deconstructive framework, drawing extensively on Jacques Derrida's concepts of the 'supplement,' 'pharmakon,' 'writing,' and 'erasure' to analyze linguistic structures.
What are the main topics discussed in the body of the text?
The text covers the laws of the 'post-' prefix, the relation between the sign and the 'event,' the displacement of origin through 'supplantation,' and the political implications of these linguistic phenomena.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include post-as-prefix, undecidable, supplement, erasure, Derrida, and semiotics.
How does the author define the 'scandal' of the supplement?
The scandal lies in the prefix's ability to arrive before the event it supposedly follows, thereby supplanting the origin and replacing real events with a virtual, linguistic simulacrum.
In what way does the 'post-' prefix alter the nature of history?
By acting as a supplement that constantly re-writes the root term, the prefix creates an illusion of linear history that obscures the underlying contradictions and violence at the origin of linguistic signs.
Does the author distinguish between the prefix 'post-' and other similar morphemes?
While the author acknowledges other morphemes like 'neo-' or 'trans-', he argues that 'post-' functions similarly as a Derridean undecidable, illustrating the general way language operates as a system of substitution.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the 'post-' prefix?
The author concludes that 'post-' must eventually be relinquished as an undecidable to expose the true, unstable movement of language as a 'signifier of signifiers,' thereby setting historical processes free from fixed, monolithic meanings.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Arindam Nandi (Autor:in), 2020, The 'Post-' as Prefix in Popular Culture and the Social Sciences, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/535027
