Post-structuralism and post-modernism emerged in the latter half of the twentieth century as critical responses to structuralism and the certainties of modernity. Both perspectives challenge universal truths, fixed meanings, and grand narratives, yet they differ in their scope, emphasis, and theoretical orientations. Post-structuralism primarily arose as a critique of structuralism, which emphasized underlying structures in language, culture, and society. Thinkers such as Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Roland Barthes argued that structures are not stable or universal but are contingent, fluid, and shaped by power relations. Central to post-structuralism is the idea that meaning is not fixed but constantly deferred, as highlighted in Derrida’s concept of “différance.” Language does not transparently represent reality; instead, it constructs it through shifting systems of signs. Post-structuralists also emphasize the role of discourse in shaping knowledge and power. Foucault, for instance, showed how institutions like prisons,