Overview
Robert Deliège's book provides a concise overview of the monumental work of one of the greatest and most prolific thinkers of the 20th century. Claude Lévi-Strauss has had a profound and lasting impact on the course of contemporary anthropology. One could further argue that he has spawned a discipline in and of itself, so widespread has the influence of structuralism been, from linguistics to philosophy to psychology. He had a formative influence on such thinkers as Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, also Ernest Gellner, Jean Piaget, Paul Ricoeur and Vladimir Propp, to name but a few. Lévi-Strauss' visionary work sparked the debate, criticism and fervour that revived social anthropology at a critical point in the development of the discipline. This reappraisal is essential reading for students and indeed anyone wishing to have a handy introduction to one of the world's great minds.
Synopsis
Robert Deliège's book provides a concise overview of the monumental work of one of the greatest and most prolific thinkers of the 20th century. Claude Lévi-Strauss has had a profound and lasting impact on the course of contemporary anthropology. One could further argue that he has spawned a discipline in and of itself, so widespread has the influence of structuralism been, from linguistics to philosophy to psychology. He had a formative influence on such thinkers as Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, also Ernest Gellner, Jean Piaget, Paul Ricoeur and Vladimir Propp, to name but a few. Lévi-Strauss' visionary work sparked the debate, criticism and fervour that revived social anthropology at a critical point in the development of the discipline. This reappraisal is essential reading for students and indeed anyone wishing to have a handy introduction to one of the world's great minds.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"This [is a] concise synthesis that appraises Lévi-Strauss' philosophy without indulgence or awe."--Sciences Humaines et Sociales
"An introduction to the rich and dense works of the French ethnologist...[Deliège's] admiration does not prevent him from taking a detached perspective towards this philosophy that, whilst no longer giving rise to strong feelings, can nevertheless described as classic."--Nature, Science et Société