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In deconstructive terms, this refers to the elevation of one term of a binary opposition above another. Deconstruction explores how these privileges are constructed and deconstructs them to show the interdependence of binary pairs.

This term combines 'phallocentrism' (prioritizing the male perspective) and 'logocentrism', criticizing the Western inclination to structure meaning and truth in terms of patriarchal concepts and structures. It's applied to demonstrate how certain readings of texts are gendered and biased.

Denotes the capacity of signs and texts to be repeated in new contexts, which also changes their meaning. Deconstruction utilizes this concept to show how no text has a single, unchanging meaning.

Derrida's term to describe the way in which the meaning of a text spreads and proliferates, suggesting that there is no single, fixed point of origin or end. It helps to highlight the multiplicity and fecundity of interpretations possible from a single text.

Term used by Derrida to question the traditional human-centered (anthropocentric) focus of Western thought and its influence on the interpretation of texts. It's applied to explore how texts can exceed or undermine humanist assumptions.

A term Derrida uses to discuss something that is added to something else to complete it or make up for a deficiency, but which also destabilizes the original thing and calls its completeness into question.

A concept critiqued by Derrida, it's the philosophical tendency to privilege immediate, present meanings or truths, and to overlook the traces and deferral of meaning. This critique is used to show how texts are not a transparent medium for immediate truth.

A term referring to the idea that certain concepts in texts resist settling into a single, fixed meaning. Deconstruction explores these ambivalent elements to challenge definite readings and to emphasize the complexity of texts.

In Derridian deconstruction, the trace is the mark of the absence of a presence, an always deferred presence. It's used to illustrate how meaning in texts is always pointing to other meanings, never settled.

A critical approach that involves taking apart or 'deconstructing' texts in order to expose contradictory meanings and assumptions. It is used to challenge traditional interpretations and reveal the instability of meaning.

This is a play on the words 'differ' and 'defer', emphasizing that meanings are not only not-identical but also constantly deferred. Deconstruction applies this to complicate the notion of fixed meanings and identities in texts.

A central concept by Derrida that refers to the endless deferral of meaning in language. Words gain meaning only in relation to other words, and this process continues indefinitely. Deconstruction uses this to reveal the infinite multiplicity of meanings in a text.

The process of challenging and dismantling the central fixed point of meaning (often an author's intention) in a text. It allows for multiple interpretations and highlights the instability and multiplicity of meanings.

A strategy used in deconstruction where the text is read both with and against the grain, acknowledging its apparent coherency but also pointing to the moments of incoherence and contradiction.

A term, not originally Derridean, associated with the approach of philosophers who question the surface meanings of texts, looking for underlying power structures and assumptions. This is similar to deconstruction in its aspect of questioning and unsettling apparent meanings.

A French term meaning 'under erasure', used by Derrida to signify a concept that is both necessary but at the same time inadequate. When applying this to texts, it underlines the provisional nature of terms and their meanings.

In deconstruction, the distinction between sign and symbol is interrogated to show that meaning is not fixed. This challenges traditional semiotic views and leads to a more fluid understanding of texts.

This dichotomy refers to the concept in which a central (dominant) idea or theme is considered while all others are marginalized. Deconstruction challenges this notion by focusing on the margins to destabilize the assumed centrality.

A concept that suggests the free movement of signifiers, the lack of a definitive stopping point for interpretation. This idea is applied to deconstruct meanings that appear fixed and to reveal the potential for multiple interpretations.

A concept in deconstruction which identifies pairs of contrasting terms that depend on each other, suggesting that these opposites are created by culture rather than being natural. In literary analysis, deconstructionists expose how these binaries uphold particular values and marginalize others.

From Derrida's term 'aporeia', which refers to a philosophical puzzle or impasse. In deconstruction, texts are seen to contain contradictions and undecidable moments that cannot be resolved through traditional hermeneutical approaches.

The term denotes the Western tradition of placing a metaphysical center or ultimate meaning at the core of understanding texts. Deconstructive critics challenge this, showing that texts can never be fully stable or centered.

In deconstruction, all things can be seen as texts to be interpreted. The concept indicates that there is no outside-text. Literary analysts apply this notion to show how texts interconnect with cultural and philosophical contexts.

Within deconstructive analysis, this refers to what is marginalized, excluded, or considered different or alien. Deconstructionists reveal how texts often define themselves through the exclusion of the Other and highlight the ethical implications.