Through Williams' exposition (perhaps better, geneology) of a number of important post-structuralist writings, the author italicizes key statements that students might jot down and return to in times of introspection. These passages, as well as his numerous study questions and his guide for further reading, make this text essential reading for those curious about the origins of post-structural thought, its essential theorists, and its political import. That is to say, for all those confounded undergraduates and armchair theorists, Williams provides an excellent introduction and overview to a school of thought whose proponents write from as divergent academic viewpoints as possible.
Throughout, his prose engages the reader and builds an argument for the importance of post-structural thought amongst multiple disciplines, including philosophy, history, geography, economics, feminism, subaltern studies, sociology and anthropology - all the while critically engaging many oppositional voices that often arise in response to post-structural critical encounters with enlightenment (and other) philosophy. Williams' text does not give short thrift to those (humanists, marxists, etc) that aren't aligned with post-structuralism. Instead, he provides counter arguments which allow the reader to make their own decisions concerning his and others' theories. Finally, Williams makes explicit the politics of post-structuralism. To this reader, his emphasis upon post-structuralism as a political movement is a welcome addition to an impressive excavation of the works of Kristeva, Lyotard, Deleuze, Foucault and Derrida.
In addition to the study questions and further reading sections mentioned above, the text also includes a timeline which highlights important post-structural texts and events, and which aids the reader in constructing an evolutionary vision of an extremely important, yet just as fractured, politico-theoretical project. Highly recommended reading.
