▁of ▁pre domin antly ▁French ▁intellect uals ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁phil os opher ▁and ▁historian ▁Michel ▁Fou ca ult , ▁the ▁phil os opher ▁Jacques ▁Der r ida , ▁the ▁Marx ist ▁phil os opher ▁Louis ▁Al th us ser , ▁and ▁the ▁literary ▁critic ▁Roland ▁Bar thes . ▁Though ▁elements ▁of ▁their ▁work ▁necessarily ▁relate ▁to ▁struct ural ism ▁and ▁are ▁informed ▁by ▁it , ▁these ▁the or ists ▁have ▁generally ▁been ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁post - struct ural ists . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁struct ural ism ▁was ▁critic ized ▁for ▁its ▁rig id ity ▁and ▁a histor ic ism . ▁Despite ▁this , ▁many ▁of ▁struct ural ism ' s ▁pro ponents , ▁such ▁as ▁Lac an , ▁continue ▁to ▁assert ▁an ▁influence ▁on ▁contin ental ▁philosophy ▁and ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁fundamental ▁assumptions ▁of ▁some ▁of ▁struct ural ism ' s ▁post - struct ural ist ▁critics ▁are ▁a ▁continu ation ▁of ▁struct ural ism . ▁ ▁Over view ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁struct ural ism ▁in ▁reference ▁to ▁social ▁science ▁first ▁appeared ▁in ▁the ▁works ▁of ▁French ▁anth rop ologist ▁Claude ▁Lé vi - St ra uss , ▁who ▁gave ▁rise ▁in ▁France ▁to ▁the ▁struct ural ist ▁movement , ▁influen cing ▁the ▁thinking ▁of ▁other ▁writers ▁such ▁as ▁Louis ▁Al th us ser , ▁the ▁ps y cho anal yst ▁Jacques ▁Lac an , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁struct ural ▁Marx ism ▁of ▁N icos ▁P oul ant zas , ▁most ▁of ▁whom ▁dis