Within poststructural ontology, discourse is where social organizations and realities are formed AND contested. Language doesn't just describe reality—it actively constructs it. Discourse becomes the fundamental site of analysis. Social realities emerge through ongoing discursive practices.

State University of New York at Binghamton

- Poststructuralism Foundation
- Discourse as Reality-Maker
- Deconstruction Project
- Disability Studies in Education (DSE) Framework

Poststructuralism and Disability Studies in Education Theories that Ground Critique

Discourse is built and organized through specific rhetorical devices, word choices, and conversational strategies that create particular versions of the world. Analysts examine conversational devices deployed within interactions to understand how reality is constructed. These constructions stabilize through repeated interactions and become taken-for-granted ways of understanding. The focus is on how speakers use language strategically to accomplish social actions.

Constructed Nature of Discourse

Lester, J. N. (Ed.). (2021). Discursive Psychology and Disability. Palgrave Studies in Discursive Psychology. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Reference For: Discursive Psychology and Disability

Poststructuralism grounds itself in examining how language creates meaning and social value. Social meanings are continuously negotiated and contested through discourse. Language connects to subjectivity, social organization, and power dynamics. This perspective reveals how "reality" is constructed rather than natural.

Poststructuralism Foundation

Discourse as Reality-Maker

Deconstruction employs critique to expose fixed binary categories and hierarchical relationships. The goal is to reverse and corrupt dichotomies themselves. This reveals how binaries maintain power structures. Deconstruction enables philosophies of inclusion by destabilizing normative categories.

Deconstruction Project

Disability Studies in Education repositions disability as social, cultural, and political construction. DSE shifts focus from individual pathology to systemic structures. Core tenets include contextualizing disability politically, promoting social justice, privileging disabled voices, and rejecting deficit models. This provides theoretical grounding for systemic change.

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