structuralism (cinestructuralism)
A system of thought, allied with *semiotics and informed by *Russian Formalism and structural anthropology, that maps systematic interrelationships within and between cultural texts and practices, and attends to the abstract structures and systems underlying their outward forms and meanings. Structuralism treats these systems as relational, in that they function through their differences from each other, differences which may sometimes constitute binary oppositions. The aim of structuralist criticism is to expose the underlying armatures of cultural meanings, the favoured method being to break down the object text or practice into its constituent formal elements and then to reconstruct it in such a way as to bring to light the basic rules by which it functions. In film studies, structuralism was important in the establishment and development of ... ...
Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription.
Please subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.
For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can''t find the answer there, please contact us.
