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Tochon, Francois V.Presence beyond the Narrative: Semiotic Tools forDeconstructing the Personal Story.Apr 9228p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of theAmerican Educational Research Association (SanFrancisco, CA, April 20-24, 1992).Speeches/Conference Papers (150) -- Viewpoints(Opinion/Position Papers, Esbays, etc.) (120)

MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.*Diacourse Analysis; Narration; *Personal Narratives;Research Methodology; *Semiotics; Story Grammar;Teacher Attitudes; *Teacher Education*Deconstruction; *Narratology

This paper is an exploration of the philosophical andsemiotic impl.lationa of educational acts of meaning-making that are

mediated through narrative inquiry. The paper discusses the risks of

a narrative view of teacher education as it is related to the

"I"--philosophy tradition of Subjective Idealism. Indeed, modelling

the Self may be an invitation to indoctrination. Thus, the paperoffers deconstructive ways of critically analyzing stories ofnarrative educators which may prevent mere impositions of influence

networks for the sake of personal awakening. Deconstruction is then

characterized as a positive use of criticism to counterbalance the

dialogically possible negative effects of constructive modelling.Deconstruction is understood as a complementary and necessary part ofany constructive, structural process. As the critical argumentspresented in the paper take the form of an essay, they suggest intheir own formalism that narratological post-modern criticism mayreveal useful moral avenues to deconstruct some Voice networks asbeing expressions of the self-authorized,few tenors and divas on an elitist stage.not meant to promote a network, it has to(Four figures and one table are included;attached.) (Author/RS)

narrative leadership of aAlso, as deconstruction isprovide its own cziticism.51 references are

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Presence Beyond the Narrative:

Semiotic Tools for Deconstructing the Persona! Story

'PERMISSION 10 REPRODUCE THISMA"cRIAL HAS SEEN GRANTED BY

To THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESiNFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)'

Franois V. Tochon

Faculty of Education

University of Sherbrooke

Sherbrooke (Quebec)

Canada J1K 2R1

Phone: (819) 821-7404

Fax: (819) 821-8048

BITNET: FTOCHONatUDESVM

U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice or Educatoniki Research and improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTE.R (ERIC)

"'GIs dOtument has been reproduced asreceived horh the person or organizationoriginating ,t

n Minor changes hsve been mac* to improveMrooduction Quality

Points Or view or opinions slated in this d ument do not necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the

American Educational Research Association (AERA),

Special Interest Group in Semiotics,

San Francisco, California.

April 20-24, 1992.

BEST COPY AM.Anif

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ABSTRACT

The present essay is an exploration of the philosophical and semiotic implications of educational

acts of meaning-making that are mediated through narrative inquiry. This paper discusses the

risks of a narrative view of teacher education as it is related to the 1"-philosophy tradition of

the Subjective Idealism. Indeed, modelling the Selfmay be an invitation to indoctrination. Thus

the paper offers deconstructive ways of critically analyzing stories of nawrative educators which

may prevent mere impositions of it(fluence networks for the sake of personal awakening.

Deconstruction is then characterized as a positive use of criticism to counterbalance the

dialogically possible negative effects of constructive modelling. Deconstruction is understood as

a complementary and necessary part of any constructive, structural process.

As the critical arguments presented here take the Form of an essay, they suggest in their own

formalism that narrutological Post-Modern criticism may reveal useful moral avenues to

deconstruct some Voice networks as being expressions of the self-authorized, narrative leadership

of a few tenors and divas on an elitist stage. Also as deconstruction is not meant to promote a

network, it has to provide its own criticism.

I thank Sue, a Manitoba middle school teacher, for letting her diary pierce deconstruction.

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Deconstruction should be understood as a positive use of criticism. It sheds light on the back-stage of constructed props. As educational models are also mental and social constructs, theircritical understanding may seem to have a deconstructive, disillusioning effect even though thiseffect has positive implications. Actually, deconstruction is instrumental in the reflectiveconstruction of meaning. Construction and deconstruction are complementary processes. Forexample, in the last few years story maker has been emphasized as a major aspect of characterconstruction. But story will not be complete if the place of the storymaker is not clearly situated.When we talk about human characters, personal stories and professional roles, story-makingbuilds new dimensions in a real-life time and space. It may cure, help, fulfil and resolve; but itmay also wreck the ship, cast all adrift and desh hopes on the reefs. What is then beyond thenarrative? Illusion or Presence? Self or Doctrine? Semiotic tools have been developed to analyzetexts; they apply to personal and social texts too. The narrative educational trend is a social textas well. Its deconstruction may help reveal its backstage: is narrative really constructive?

There certainly is an ambiguity in the title of the present essay. Does Presence Beyond theNarrative represent a result of the deconstruction process? If so, who is backstage? Doesn'tdeconstruction demonstrate rather a reaction against the imposture of a Presence behind thestoried and restoried lives of teachers as expressed in their narratives? In effect, this ambiguityraises an issue on the stance taken in this article. As a story, narrative is past, and sometimesobsolete. It is never a present moment. Thus if there is a Presence, it lies probably beyond whatis captured by stories. Some narrative educators emphasize awakening and the realization of aninner Presence. But the role of Presence in philosophy has long been a pretext for imposingabsolute views in education. The point here is not that present things are nol, or do not exist.They certainly are, and their existence may be verified. However, suggesting Presence, throughor beyond individual story, has been an ideological argument for building indoctrination systemsfor centuries. How avoid this danger? It is suggested that, as a way of destorying events,deconstructive criticisms may provide useful, political instruments that demystify and invalidatethe authority of narrative fundamentalists who claim that methodic awakening will be producedthrough an enlightening faith in the narrative tradition.

Thus deconstruction may provide a framework for narrative criticisms. But deconstruction shouldnot become a goal in itself; it is not above its own deconstruction. If deconstruction must be, ithas to have no permanent Presence by itself. It cannot then be assimilated with a method. Thus,so as to be meaningful, deconstruction should also be deconstructed when it has done its work;this metadeconstruction may free the idiosyncratic, ultimate Meaning from any attempt tolegitimate an alleged, generalizable path to awakening. Metadeconstruction would providecriticisms of moral order.

This paper will use the deconstruction framework to discuss the following arguments:

1) The narrative approach in teacher education has not even begun to fully use the toolsof narratology, even though this is one of its basic claims;

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2) When transferred to the teacher's education, the narrative approach involves particularrisks which must be acknowledged;

3) If the narrative approach consists in formalizing a new psychoanalytical path, it maythen prevent more critical, social issues to emerge;

4) Self-awakening is by definition an individual, idiosyncratic experience; it may not begeneralizable in a narrative appioach: language differs from reality, culture from nature,and story making is probably only partially concerned with the perception of truth andmeaning.

5) By setting aside the psychological perspective, the narratologic critics might helpdeconstruct ideology, and thus approach the individual autonomy with the least possibleideological imposition;

6) Deconstruction itself must be deconstructed in order to undermine its own ideologicalpower.

This relativist approach denies the possibility of some metaphysical comfort. It implies thatmeaning is ever to be reconstructed. it does not reach a state of permanence.

Educational narratology: What philosophical roots?

As usually expressed in the educational field, the narrative approach traces its most importantsources to the post-Hegelian, Deweyan educational philosophy -thus pragmatism- , in thebiographic Chicago School, and in Polanyi's works on personal knowledge. Autobiography wascertainly one of the first means used to study education; it has been temporarily rejected bybehaviorists as being "mentalist". The experiential orientation of the narrative way of knowingmakes it belong to the phenomenology tr