Derrida argues that if oppositions create meaning, then all meaning is dependent upon its unacknowledged opposites , or negative 'other'. Derrida's strategy entails reversing the binary terms, which makes clear the reliance of the positive term on its negative 'other', and at the same time dislodges the meanings of these terms. This strategy is referred to as deconstruction. What is important here is Derrida's insight that the positive terms only gain their meaning by denying their dependence upon the second term - their negative doubles. Our next reading for this topic is by Stuart Hall on representation.
Representation is central to work on semiotics.
And Representation is the production of the meaning of the concepts in our minds through language. It is the link between concepts and language which enables us to refer to either the 'real world of objects, people or events, or indeed the imaginary world of fictional objects, people and events. There are then two systems of representation. Yet, our personal experiences, memories and imaginaries are part of a larger, and to a significant extent , shared cultural experience, memory and imaginary. Without this sharing of concepts communication would be extremely difficult, if not impossible.