Post-structuralism emerged in the later half of the twentieth century as a response to structuralist and modern thought by philosophers such as Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Judith Butler. It rejects the idea of an authoritative, objective, universal truth, and instead acknowledges that realities, identities and needs are varied, subjective and shifting. (Mullaly, The New Structural Social Work)
Post-structuralist thought has been slow to influence social work practice, but its impact can be seen in some aspects of community development as well as other areas of social work. One example is the recent movement away from "cultural competence" towards "cultural humility", a shift which acknowledges the problems with assuming that there can be knowledge of social practices and norms which are universally experienced within cultures.
Post-structuralism has deep connections to many social and political movements, such as critical theory, feminist and queer thought. One example can be seen within Black Feminist Thought which has critiqued the idea of a "universal" experience of womanhood, pointing out that the ways in which many Black women experience gender oppression varies greatly from white women.
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