Chain of Signification

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Chain of Signification

• Robbie Busch 2004

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Chain of Signification (1)
Lets start off with a signifer, for example a
psychiatrist.
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Chain of Signification (1)
The signifier one on one level, becomes a
signified health professional. Thus, the sign
that is created is that a psychiatrist is a
health professional. i.e., Signifier Signified
Sign Psychiatrist Health Professional
Psychiatrist is a health professional (But
also remember that signs are unstable and fluid
as well in meaning.)
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Chain of Signification (1)
But on a deeper level, the psychiatrist is seen
as the expert. So the signified becomes an
expert instead of a health professional. The
health professional is in the process of erasure,
but not completely erased there is still a
residual trace there.
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Chain of Signification (1)
So the sign becomes that the psychiatrist is the
expert.
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Chain of Signification (1)
But oh no! Whats happened here? The signified
is no longer (because signified become almost
instantaneously the signified), and on another
level, the (temporary) signified becomes the
male sage of authority!
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Chain of Signification (1)
Now, the part of the signified is partially
reinterpreted with another meaning so that the
psychiatrist is now seen as a male sage who knows
whats best for his patient.
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Chain of Signification (1)
It must noted that all signified become
signifiers, and even the last signifier in this
diagram will go on to be interpreted with a
meaning at another level. But for the moment, the
psychiatrist who is seen as the male sage and
knows whats best for his patient is now part of
a constructed hierarchical binary.
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Chain of Signification (1)
This hierarchical binary is the
psychiatrist-over-patient binary. Derridian
deconstruction can now look at this binary and
its assumptions and also look back at some of the
traces (see the red arrows) that made this
ultimate assumption of psychiatrist over
patient. For example, what has expertise and
authority got to do with thinking that they
know what the patient needs?
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Chain of Signification (2)

• See what you can interpret from this next chain
  of signification that contains a hierarchical
  binary of Päkehä over Mäori

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Chain of Signification (2)A racist binary
(Päkehä over Mäori)

• Signifier 1 becomes
  Signified Signifier 2 becomes
  Signified 2

• Signifier 1 Signified becomes
  Signifier 2 Signified 2 becomes
  Signifier 3

Mäori
Brown
Exotic (Evil, Weak, Deviant)
Other Racial Features Contributions to Society
Other Skin colors
Hierarchical Binaries
Innocent, Strong Civilized
White
Päkehä/NZ European
Other New Zealanders
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Chain of Signification (2)

• A Possible Interpretation and Deconstruction
• Hierarchical binaries are created of Päkehä
  over Mäori.
• The Päkehä think they are burdened to
  educate/ tame/ temper Mäori with Päkehä ways.
  Päkehä believed this was their moral obligation
  according to Päkehä God and country
  (colonialist-based Päkehä religion and beliefs).
  In other words, one (Päkehä) New Zealand. A
  colloquial saying, Godzone, is often used in
  New Zealand (meaning Gods own and the zone of
  God) signifying New Zealand as pristine,
  innocent, pure (Päkehä) country.
• This notion of Päkehä over Mäori can then be
  deconstructed by examining what is Päkehä and
  what is Mäori and the absurdity of the myth that
  is created between the two.

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Chain of Signification (2)

• (Interpretation and Deconstruction Contd)
• Päkehä strengthen their hierarchical binary by
  de-emphasising or bracketing other races,
  ethnicities, cultures, and so on, and by ignoring
  important and valuable real and potential Mäori
  contributions to society via a process of
  erasure. This is absurd because Mäori have made
  important contributions to New Zealand society.