Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the notion that all human activity is regulated by unconscious symbolic mechanisms.

Structuralism (n.) suggests ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠that different aspects of social life (e.g. Art, religion, myth, kinship, etc.) are constructed in their inmost nature like language.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an approach in which one can, for example, analyze myths precisely how a linguist proceeds... namely a linguist can work out the grammar of a given language from a remarkably small number of sentences.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠captured beautifully in the famous phrase: To think is to cast a throw of the dice.

Structuralism (n.) , ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠on the one hand, is an assumption (i.e. That human society exist by establishing binaries such as nature/culture, raw/cooked) and on the other, an analytic claim (i.e. That myth exist to mediate these contradictions).

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠grounded in the idea that the universal structures of the mind are the structures present in all minds that show a demand for rules, a concern for reciprocity, and and an appreciation for the transformative nature of partnerships.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a method that, for example, sees an axe not just as a tool, but as a sign in a complex system. This is a shift from an emphasis (in anthropology) on function to communication.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a step back from structural functionalism insofar as the mind is seen as tending toward a resolution of the binaries (cultural dissonance) that it itself creates.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an imitation of the methods of structural linguistics in the hopes that the anthropologist can arrive at a truly scientific analysis of kinship systems, that is, an analysis which explains and simplifies its object without losing touch of its concrete reality.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠concerned with core forms of social interaction such as language, kinship, and economic relations (i.e. Infrastructure) on the one hand and on the other with relatively autonomous spheres of art, science, and religion (i.e. Superstructure).

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠nothing other than an attempt to understand cultures, or societies, by unveiling the structures of conceptual thought which inform their understanding of the world and their behaviour.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a method whose purpose was to draw up an inventory of mental patterns, to reduce apparently arbitrary data to some kind of order, and to attain a level at which a kind of necessity becomes apparent, underlying the illusions of liberty.

Structuralism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠well-suited to the study of political ideology for nothing resembles mythological thought more in terms of its symbolic efficacy.

The Anthropologist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the astronomer of the social sciences

The Anthropologist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an amputated man: One who, having been separated from his own group for long times feels 'at home' anywhere and suffers a chronic uprootedness.

The Anthropologist (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠spent a considerable amount of money and time, and compromised his health for the purpose of having his presence forgiven by a handful of wretched people whose main occupations are sleeping and picking their lice.

The Anthropologist (n.) often ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠suffers the contradiction of being a ready conformist elsewhere and a staunch critic at home. It is a contradiction that will be resolved once it is taken for granted that, even at home, the anthropologist's business should be to know, not to pass judgement.

Language (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a kind of human reason, which has its own internal logic of which man knows nothing.

Language (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a foundation for the more complex structures which correspond to the different aspects of culture.

Language (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the only social phenomena thus far that has been studied in a manner which permits it to serve as the object of truly scientific analysis, allowing us to understand its formative process and to predict its mode of change, revealing systems of relations which are the products of unconscious thought processes.

Language (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the only social phenomenon able to be studied as the object of truly scientific analysis.

Language (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a system whose laws function at the unconscious level, beyond the control of the speaking subjects, and we can therefore study them as objective phenomena, representative in this sense of other social facts.

Culture (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a mediation of the relationships between humanity and the world.

Culture (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠neither simply juxtaposed to nor simply superposed over life. In a way, culture substitutes itself to life, in another way culture uses and transforms life to realize a synthesis of a higher order.

Culture (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠tasked with mediating or reconciling the oppositions which are the bases of its own taxonomies.

Culture (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no more than the expression, on the level of individual thought and behavior, of certain time and space modalities of the universal laws which make up the unconscious activity of the mind.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an institutionalization of the purpose of Rousseau... namely to utter the losses of all modernity's victims and to deny the instrumental success of the west their privilege.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠tasked to not abandon research and become an applied science dealing with the problems of developing countries and the pathological aspects of our own society.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the lone social science capable to aspire to generality.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a discipline grounded in the presumption that ours is not the only possible way to live, and that other ways have allowed and still allow groups of men to find happiness. Anthropology invites us to temper our pride, to respect other life styles.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a discipline in which experimentation precedes observation and hypothesis.

Anthropology (n.) examines ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠economics, law, and political science (disciplines that are close to us and so of interest) in their most distant manifestations, or from the angle of their most general expressions.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a kind of necrology which illuminates the whole Lucretian project of a detached, impassive rationality, suggesting an intimate link between all such projects and a certain relationship to, a certain conception of the dead.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a reconstitution of meaning by mechanical means. The anthropologist constructs it, unwraps it. And then, after all, he is a man, so he tastes it.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a science in which, to both our benefit and inconvenience, our experiments are already prepared but ungovernable.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an intensely personal kind of intellectual discipline, like psychoanalysis.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠tasked to to contribute to a better knowledge of objectified thought and its mechanisms. It makes no difference if the thought processes of those studied takes shape through the anthropologist's thought or if the anthropologist's thought takes shape through theirs. It is doubtless a doubly reflexive forward movement of the two.

Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the study of various images of ourselves which are disappearing forever.