Levi-Strauss Structuralism and Sociological Theory Routledge Library Editions: Social Theory Series

What is the significance of Structuralism for social science? How original is Lévi-Strauss' contribution to social theory? Is he Marxist? Though Structuralism, and its leading representative Lévi-Strauss, are central to sociology, anthropology and psychology, the complexity of his work and the obscurity of his commentators have often proved a barrier to understanding. Now for the first time, Dr Badcock provides a jargon-free assessment of Lévi-Strauss' place in the tradition of French sociological thought ? particularly to predecessors such as Comte, Durkheim and Mauss ? discusses his relationship to Marx, Sartre, Freud and Talcott Parsons and provides a concise, non-technical account of his complex ideas on kinship, totenism and myth.

1. Origins in Comte, Durkheim and Mauss 2. Culture as a Language 3. Lévi-Strauss and Marx 4. The Debate with Sartre 5. Lévi-Strauss and Freud