Structural anthropology (n.) is a kind of inventory of mental constraints, an attempt to reduce the arbitrary to an order, so as to discover a necessity immanent in the illusion of liberty.
Structural anthropology (n.) is concerned with discovering a universal grammar of culture, operating upon reconciling oppositions.
Structural anthropology (n.) is grounded in the assumption that cultural phenomena can be rendered intelligible by uncovering in their relationships a few simple underlying principles.
Structural anthropology (n.) is grounded in the assumption that even apparent randomness, may have a deeper unity and systematicity, derived from the operations of a small number or underlying principles.
Structural anthropology (n.) takes its model from phonology: kinship terms, like phonemes, mean nothing alone and everything through their place in a system of contrasts, worked out unconsciously by those who use them.