Claude Claude Levi-Levi-

StraussStraussLaura Patrickson & Charlotte Reynard

Who was he?

What was his field of study?

Levi-Strauss was a linguistic theorist and anthropologist, which means that he studied the scientific aspects of language, philosophy and psychology.language, philosophy and psychology.

He was considered to be the founder of the structuralism movement. Structuralism means to break down the main components of the human mind to find hidden semioticssemiotics or an underlying pattern.

Levi-Strauss also branched into other areas of Anthropology, furthering his study into Ethnology (the study of humans from different races, nationality the study of humans from different races, nationality and ethnicitiesand ethnicities).

His works• Levi-Strauss’s most famous books are ‘Tristes Tropiques’, ‘The Savage mind’ and ‘The Raw and

the Cooked’. In these books, Levi-Strauss explained his belief that the human mind was balanced in both ‘savage’ and ‘civilised’ activity after working for years amongst tribes people in Brazil.

• “I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men’s minds I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men’s minds without their being aware of the fact” without their being aware of the fact” this shows that Levi-Strauss was able to deduct from his research in Brazil that it is possible for people to believe in myths and follow the conventions of life without being aware of what they are.

Levi-Strauss studying in Brazil.

What do his works mean to us as Media students?