Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist born on November 28, 1908, in Brussels, Belgium, and passed away on October 30, 2009, in Paris, France. He is widely regarded as one of the fathers of modern Anthropology and Structuralism.
Born into a family of painters, Lévi-Strauss initially studied law and philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris. His interest in anthropology was sparked during a brief period when he taught at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, where he was exposed to the indigenous cultures of South America.
Lévi-Strauss conducted extensive fieldwork among the Nambikwara, Bororo, and Tupi-Kawahib peoples of Brazil, which significantly influenced his later theoretical work. After returning to France, he taught at the École Pratique des Hautes Études and later at the Collège de France, where he was appointed to the first chair of social anthropology in 1959.
Among his most influential works are:
His work has had a profound impact not only on anthropology but also on literary criticism, philosophy, and the social sciences. Lévi-Strauss's approach to understanding culture through underlying structures has influenced many fields, including linguistics, semiotics, and even computer science.
Lévi-Strauss received numerous honors during his lifetime, including the Holberg Prize in 2003 and the Prix Mondial Cino Del Duca in 1973. In his later years, he continued to write and influence thought until his death in 2009.
External Links: