Deliberating Articulation: A Postmodern Appropriation

Articulation theory is a recent phenomenon which has gained currency in the recent times for the reasons which can fairly be attributed to the zeitgeist. Articulation, which might simply mean “to express” and which, in sociological terms would mean appropriation of certain forms and practices gets extended and convoluted as it enters the postmodern domain. Articulation as a concept walks a tight rope as within its broad rubric it subsumes all expressions and manifestations. The current paper tries to deliberate upon the conception of articulation by conceptualising the distinction between deliberate articulations and unconscious articulations. As it does, the paper delves into the Freudian theory of Unconscious which holds the fundamental problems for such a dyad by explicating unconscious articulations like ‘bundle actions’ and ‘Freudian slips’ which are more expressive than conscious attempts. The paper, thus, eventually looks at the postmodern appropriation of the concept of articulation which transcends words as well as linguistic and paralinguistic mediums. It couches the discourse of articulation within the embryo of sublime, the most powerful postmodern force, which defines postmodernism more prominently as opposed to words and artifacts. The paper, as it brings the argument home keeps the debate open for all essential deliberations vis-à-vis articulation and tries to necessitate the dialogue further.