Product Description

The structural method, first set forth in this epoch-making book, changed the very face of social anthropology. This reissue of a classic will reintroduce readers to Lvi-Strausss understanding of man and society in terms of individualskinship, social organization, religion, mythology, and art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92290 in Books
• Published on: 1974-05-17
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Customer Reviews

An entertaining play on the theme of anthropology and art
For anyone with the slightest curiosity about the quirkier behaviour of mankind, Levi-Strauss's structural anthropological tour is the answer. Like an ethnological Dickens he writes with the amiable concision of a master, a stance which in no way tempts him away from topics which border on the scandalous; or from evaluating- sometimes unfavourably- the work of a famous colleague. Almost incidentally, he finds Margaret Mead's oppositions of human types a trifle too pat; while Malinowski he gently deplores for his indifference to 'structural problems', as in the case where he neglects to analyse the singular layout of a Melanesian village. His opinion of W.H.R. Rivers I shall return to in a moment.

Frequently, one has the feeling that Levi-Strauss has some kind of homing device which directs him at once to the universal elements of a matter under discussion. Hence, many of his ideas can be effortlessly connected to concepts in other fields. Such a case arises when, in a discussion of voodoo and its fatal effects on the sympathetic nervous system of the victim, a comparison is made with these symptoms and those of people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Such a link suggests that PTSD could well have a spirit- dimension.

Levi-Strauss's anthropological investigations frequently take him into the literary sphere; as when he reports on a youngster from a New Mexican tribe of Indians who is accused of the capital offence of sorcery. In order to save himself he swears to his judges that he is a sorcerer, albeit a failed one! The lad's story , told in order to justify this assertion, involves his use of therapeutic feathers which, he says, are hidden in the walls of his house. Commanded to find one of these , his search ends with the serendipitous finding of a plume lodged in the plaster. The episode ends with the judges- already half-convinced- craning forward to hear the end of the youth's story, all of them having quite forgotten he is on trial for his life. Now it is solely the power of the narrative, the plot, which will convince them of the truth of the youth's assertion that he is really is a sorcerer. Only the establishment of this identity will finally reassure his judges!

The literary vein in the author's work does not end here. Elsewhere, he interprets another New Mexican, Indian, magico-religious text called Mu Igala or the Way of Mu. The author notes that the names in this title literally represent the vagina and uterus of the pregnant woman who is to be cured by a reading of the text by the shaman and his helping spirit; who will do battle with Mu for having usurped the soul of the women. Like T.S. Eliot's Prufrock, matters of the soul can only be touched on by allusion; thus among other measures, the sick woman is placed on part of a painting marked out by coloured sands and pollen which appear to have no ostensible relationship with the woman's malady.

What then of Rivers, after Pat Barker's depiction of the man with his urbane, and kindly intelligence in The Regeneration Trilogy; a man, who seemingly without a qualm, recommends that men like Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen return to the trenches of World War I; to a situation described by a French army surgeon as a 'diabolic killing machine'? Whatever, Levi-Strauss's praise of Rivers is unequivocal. He is the Galileo of anthropology; a neglected genius, and a great theoretician. That such a man could seemingly not perceive the murderous stupidity of the establishment he was participating in must surely remain one of the unsolved riddles of that tragic war.

All this and more about art , and men; and about definitions that need to be chased to some sort of end, are contained in this definitive work by a great Frenchman- don't wait until it is out of stock! ..

Anthropological classic
You may or may not agree with Strauss' theories, but still you have to agree this Strauss' work had a huge impact on the way anthropology was perceived and the way anthropological research was done. Central in the book is the structuralist philosophy of Levi-Strauss: researching cultures based on their use of language and habits.

If you have anthropology as a hobby, or if you're a student of anthropology this is, probably, one of the books you must have read.
It is not an easy read, mind, as the material is a dense mix of theory and practical information, combined with some calculations and explanations.

Moreover, like most theories, Strauss' theories are not without their fair share of opposition, since many question his research and his theories.

On the whole a classic for the interested scholar (whether hobby or student) and is a great introduction into Structuralist-oriented research of Levi-Strauss.