The New York Times has a great piece on his life and influence on intellectualism.
I haven’t studied much in the way of anthropology but from what I understand, Mr. Lévi-Strauss’s anthropological legacy was in seeking universal similarities between all human beings, rather than merely cataloging the differences. His belief and exploration of these fundamental similarities came to be known as “structuralism,” a term which he later renounced when it came to embody a school of thought that had taken on a life of its own as an extension of his work.
His 4-volume “Mythologiques” sounds like an engaging and challenging embodiment of his sophisticated anthropological analysis. In this case, the subject was “the structure of native mythology in the Americas.” Might have to put that one on the old reading list. There’s never a shortage of giant behemoths to put on the bookshelf.
