French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss dies

[tekisui]

Source: AP

PARIS — Claude Levi-Strauss, widely considered the father of modern anthropology for work that included theories about commonalities between tribal and industrial societies, has died. He was 100.

The French intellectual was regarded as having reshaped the field of anthropology, introducing structuralism — concepts about common patterns of behavior 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.

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 honor his memory.

France reacted emotionally to his death, with government officials, politicians and ordinary citizens populating blogs with heartfelt tributes.



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[Barack_America]

1. A great man and a great loss.

My condolences to his loved ones, which appears to include his entire nation.

[tishaLA]

2. Levi-Strauss is a legend and this is a terrible loss

His work has been so important in literary studies for so long....I think I'll pull my tattered copy of Tristes Tropiques off the shelf and read it today.

[prairierose]

3. I studied Levi-Strauss in grad school...

and felt that I learned so much from his work. This is a great loss to literary studies. And yes, I think that is is time to re-read some of his work.

[Hissyspit]

4. K&R nt

[Tansy_Gold]

5. A great loss, but he has given us so much that he will be with us forever.

Adieu!

[Bonobo]

6. The father of structuralism...

He was brilliant and should be honored.

[alsame]

8. +1. RIP.

[Vehl]

7. A great man. studied his works in an anthro class

he will be missed :(

[LeftishBrit]

9. RIP. At any rate, he lived to a good old age.