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Claude Levi-Strauss, 100: Reshaped Field of Anthropology
The French intellectual was regarded as having reshaped the field of anthropology, introducing the concept of structuralism – concepts about common patterns of behaviour and thought, especially myths, in a wide range of human societies. Defined as the search for the underlying patterns of thought in all forms of human activity, structuralism compared the formal relationships among elements in any given system.
French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, seen here in 2005, has died at the age of 100. Levi-Strauss helped shape Western thinking about human civilisation with his 1955 book "Tristes Tropiques". (AFP/File/Pascal Pavani) During his six-decade career, Levi-Strauss authored literary and anthropological classics including Tristes Tropiques (1955), The Savage Mind (1963) and The Raw and the Cooked (1964).
Jean-Mathieu Pasqualini, chief of staff at the Academie Francaise, said an homage to Levi-Strauss was planned for Thursday, with members of the society – of which Levi-Strauss was a member – standing during a speech to honour his memory.
Born on Nov. 28, 1908, in Brussels, Belgium, Levi-Strauss was the son of French parents of Jewish origin. He studied in Paris and went on to teach in Sao Paulo, Brazil and conduct much of the research that led to his breakthrough books in the South American giant.
Levi-Strauss also won worldwide acclaim and was awarded honorary doctorates universities including Harvard, Yale and Oxford, as well as universities in Sweden, Mexico and Canada.
He is survived by his sons Roman and Laurent.
12 Comments so far
Show AllClaude Levi-Strauss, 100: Reshaped Field of Anthropology....and the shape of my ass in jeans
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
With any luck I will join you in 25 days - but to reach 71. I would rather be associated with Levi-Strauss than with Blake, but you have to take whatever you get.
Wow! I had no idea Strauss was still alive as of yesterday.
I too didn't know he was still alive. His contribution to anthropology is indeed great but much of his early work echoes that of Friedrich Engels in Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State in 1884.
Writing as a USC Anthropology major; Claude Levi-Strauss was required (difficult at times as well) reading, that when comprehended, was revelatory. It is no exaggeration to state that Levi-Strauss is a giant of the field along with Malinowski, Mead, & Goodall.
Add his student Eduardo Vivieros de Castro to the legacy.
For some incredible photography, videos, reports, and links to todays struggles for some of the peoples Claude Levi-Strauss fought for:
http://ipcst.wordpress.com/
And the hydroelectric dams that threaten them and a chance to email a letter of protest:
http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/latin-america/amazon-basin/xingu-river
Levi-Strauss was a revelation and changed the way I thought about cultures, especially tribal cultures. Thank God for minds like his.
While he was not my favourite anthropologist, Claude Levi-Strauss made a huge impact as regards kinship and descent. I do not identify as a Structuralist, but he did give us a spring board into broadening the scope of anthropological studies as well as being one of the banes of all struggling anthro students.
Adieu Levi-Strauss.
Renee Girard is a worthy successor to Levi-Strauss.