Transgressive deconstructions: feminist/postcolonial methodology for research in knowledge organization
Hope A. Olson · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · 2003
This paper explores deconstruction as a methodology for knowledge organization research. It surveys the basic approach of deconstruction as established by Jacques Derrida and notes the strengths and weaknesses of this approach as it relates to the combination of theory and practice integral to the field of knowledge organization. Deconstruction, as a poststructural methodology, reveals the fundamental presumptions underlying our principles. However, its effectiveness in asking awkward questions is limited by its apparent inaction. To address the problem of Derridean deconstruction in regard to agency, transgressive deconstructions include political, economic, social and cultural aspects. After canvassing the general deconstructive approach, this paper pursues feminist and postcolonial perspectives on deconstruction for their illumination of practical applications. A final section suggests particular knowledge organization issues that are fruitfully addressed by deconstruction. Theoreticians who inform this discussion include Homi K. Bhabha, Rosi Braidotti, Helene Cixous, Drucilla Cornell, Diane Elam, Patti Lather, Elaine Marks, Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Trinh T. Minh-ha and others. Their insights explain the process of deconstructing the totalizing impact of knowledge organization.