IN DEFENSE OF A POST-STRUCTURALIST ORGANIZATIONAL CRITIQUE: RECOVERING THE FOUCALDIAN-DELEUZIAN PRAGMATISM

Abstract

This paper is aimed at defending the critical post-structuralist point of view against recent claims regarding its legitimacy originating from contemporary, critical organizational studies. It proposes to follow the underlying thread of the pragmatic point of view to recover some of its elements present in Foucaldian thought and Deleuzian philosophy and so weave together possible replies to these claims. In order to do so, the two poles of Brazil’s critical organizational studies – critical theory and post-structuralism – that have appeared in recent debates, are first exposed. This seeks to highlight their different points of views as regards what constitutes a critical approach to organizational analysis, as well as their main arguments. It is considered that continuing such debates is important, as they have thrown up certain misunderstandings regarding post-structuralist critique that deserve to be rectified. An important point that is highlighted as being present in these opposing points of view comprises the different interpretations of Foucault’s thoughts made by the two approaches. It is argued that the pragmatic elements found in his work make it impossible for his thinking to be placed alongside critical theorists, especially given his significant break from humanism. The paper then begins an analysis of Deleuze’s philosophy of difference, also following the underlying thread of pragmatism, to reply to the claims based on the fact that the post-structuralists abandoned the critical dialectical method in favor of “the difference game”. The paper will show how Deleuzian philosophy nears a pragmatic position through its concept of Difference, standing in counterpoint to the philosophical branches that serve as the basis for critical theory. It is concluded that affirming the possibility of post-structuralist critique is plausible and constitutes a valid and worthy alternative avenue of investigation for a critical approach whilst also possessing modernist theoretical roots.