Interestingly, though Chris remarked that deconstruction was one of the more difficult words in "New Keywords," I had originally been thinking about it in the context of salad.
Deconstructed salads and other deconstructed foods are part of a somewhat recent fad to separate the elements of classic or familiar dishes (think key lime pie) and present them in new or "exciting" ways (think key lime mousse served in a margarita dish with a dollop of whipped cream and a graham cracker). I don't quite get it. I still remember my first experience with deconstructed salad quite clearly. I was with my family at Skate's on the Berkeley Marina, celebrating my mom's birthday. My grandma and my mom had ordered a caesar salad to share though my sister, Elizabeth, sat between them; in the past, the salad had been served fully prepped and dressed on two separate plates, so a diner's geographical location at the table was never an issue. This night's salad, however, arrived on a single long plate which, after a moment's hesitation on the part of the waitress, was placed between my mom and grandma in front of my sister. Elizabeth, who at ten or so was already adept at questioning the obvious, asked, "Why did you order lettuce?" My grandma, on the other hand, saw not lettuce, but a salad the kitchen had simply forgotten to finish. "No, no," explained the waitress. "It's supposed to be like that, it's deconstructed." After she had left, my mom dutifully cut the DIY lettuce leaves into pieces while my sister questioned the meaning of "deconstructed" and my grandma glared at the dish in mild offense.
Enough about salad.
I'll admit to my intrigue as to the meanings of "deconstruction," especially after I was told it would be challenging. Why? What is so challenging about a word which is, essentially, the opposite of a word I knew very well?
Perhaps one reason is because of the fact that the word has a metaphysical basis; it is almost synonymous (according to the text) to a "criticism," namely of ideas (Bennet, Glossberg, Morris, 70). I had only ever thought of it in a physical (or, as Chris said, architectural) sense, as in deconstructing a building or a puzzle or... well, a salad. Apparently, I had a one-dimensional understanding of the word.
"Deconstruction is a reading of and towards systems of differential relations which... exist and change in time and are open-ended; of modes of being without self identity or origin; of a presence which is endlessly deferred."
Okay.
So what does this mean in the context of diaspora, society, reform and revolution, and race?
I tried to come up with relational words to better understand the meaning of deconstruction within the context of our cluster:
Diaspora - perhaps deconstruction in this case could have to do with separation of people, ideas, technology, and a deconstruction of society.
Society - deconstruction could imply more of a transition, either architecturally or idealogically.
Reform and Revolution - again, transition, but also reclamation, such as in the deconstruction of an oppressive regime or idea or mindset.
Race - This could have to do with the deconstruction of one's ethnic self, or identification of background, and, in some cases, the isolation of people or groups.
"Deconstruction is a strategy of complication" (p.70)
Is deconstruction in actuality the breakdown of ideas which remains complicated due to contextual and chronological parameters? Is that what makes this word "key?"
Let's try this again
14 years ago
3 comments:
I can see how deconstruction can be a difficult word to grasp and I think you have a hold of it way better than I do. My thoughts are that "deconstruction" is the stripping and renewing of an outdated construct. In terms of my word, "race," we are constantly deconstructing the meaning. First, it was a form of categorization. Then, it became a means of prejudice. And today, it's a form of self identity. The concept of race has been deconstructed over many years to fit the mindset and beliefs of that time.
By the way, I've never heard of a deconstructed salad, but your story was quite entertaining and I hope I can find a place that serves them.
Your story of the deconstructed salad is very helpful (and entertaining). It reminded me that I recently came across a recipe for a "deconstructed sushi bowl": rice, nori, sesame seeds, cucumber, salmon, tamari, etc.—but all mixed up in a bowl rather than rolled up tightly in the nori. The point is that the ingredients, in this case, are exposed: the 'sushi' is no longer an elegant structure, instead it is an assemblage of parts. And in this conversion, its aura changes. Deconstruction is often termed a "post-structural" philosophy because it is interested in showing how structures always involve their own irresolvable ambiguities and tension points. In this case, deconstructed sushi bowl screams: "Look, we're just a bunch of things crammed together, and the structure is merely aesthetic!" In Rachel's case of the deconstructed Caesar salad, it sounds like the project was to draw the dining guest into the labor of preparation and structuration: “Here, you get to help make a Caesar salad.” The deconstruction in this case almost has more to do with the upsetting of the seemingly binary roles of paying diner and paid cook. This is a rich post that both engages the intellectual material and "makes it real," as a philosophy professor of mine once put it.
First off, I would like to apologize for such a late post as my Interet Service Provider has been giving me trouble for the past two days. The better news is that my entry is up now.
Secondly, I've read both your posts and I have to say I enjoy reading them. Somehow I find your train of thought easy to follow, and your entries have been fun and interesting to read. Now onto the post.
Quoted from your entry:
"Deconstruction is a reading of and towards systems of differential relations which... exist and change in time and are open-ended; of modes of being without self identity or origin; of a presence which is endlessly deferred."
Okay.
-My thoughts exactly
I think when people don't understand something, or don't feel in control, they complicate things. I can't think of a good example off the top of my head, but for instance, when a person is faced with a problem, their train of thought seems to just get all over the place. They start thinking of a lot of things that may not be relevant, thus complicating the situation. They could think about why this thing has happened, will she get mad, what if this happens, and so forth. In a way, it could be coping mechanism for stressful event, to make a difficult situation more manageable. I think when people lose sight of what's truly important, or the primary goal of the problem, they start digressing. Ironically, I feel like I'm doing that right now and am no making that much sense. Anyway, the point is, have you ever felt like when you have a problem you just stress about in your head, about all the possible explanations or turnouts, and then when it gets solved you think 'wow, that was much easier than I thought?' That's what I'm trying to get at, when a person complicates something they don't completely understand it or don't feel completely in control. Which leads me to think, what about digressing, could deconstructing be considered? Why do people digress? I suppose that in itself is a digression and we could discuss that later.
I'm a Psychology major and often, there are multiple explanations for one thing. There are many perspectives including the Cognitive, Behavioral, Construtivist, Psycho dynamic, Humanistic perspectives to explain a simple behavior. Are they 'deconstructing' the behavior to further increase understanding, or to make it more complicated? I prefer the former. So my best guess is.. 'deconstructing' is to break apart or complicate things for the sake of attaining insight.
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