Structural Anthropology

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 410.0 pages
• Published by: Basic Books 1963
• Written in: English
• ASIN: B000BX9DHW

Product Description
Structural Anthropology is the first work in English to illuminate all aspects of the distinctive approach of one of the world's most influential anthropologists-- a distinguished theorist whose contributions have become "classic" within their author's own lifetime. Levi-Strauss approaches anthropology as the study of the science of general principles. His "structural method" views man & society in terms of universals. He considers it mandatory that the theories which the anthropologist formulates be applicable to and valid for all empirical manifestations. Structural Anthropology--which Levi-Strauss himself regards as his most representative work--comprehensively demonstrates the application of this structural method to a wide range of anthropological concerns, including kinship, social organization, religion and mythology, and art. Levi-Strauss looks at the role linguistics plays with respect to the social sciences, the relationship between kinship terminology and prescribed behavior, the problem of dual organization, and the relationship between myth and ritual. His approach is holistic and integrative; he emphasizes the close relationship between field work and theory, between the description of social phenomena (ethnography) and structural analysis (theory). In the final section of the volume, Levi-Strauss explores problems of method and teaching in anthropology. He reveals the ambiguities of the discipline and its position in universities in Europe and America, discusses curriculums, and offers sound advice on the techniques of teaching the subject.