Structuralism

doi:10.1017/9781316677445.014

13 - Structuralism

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 December 2020

Sandro Segre

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Peter Kivisto

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Peter Kivisto: Affiliation:
Augustana College, Illinois

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Summary

As a theoretical perspective, structuralism focuses on the notion of structure. This notion can be defined in two distinct ways. The intentional definition directs attention to a system of empirically observable relations among the members of a given collectivity, as indicated by their roles and social positions. The effective definition conceives of structure as a set of interrelated but not visible elements, the study of which calls for a special method of inquiry. This method has been applied to anthropology, linguistics, literature, and psychology. Radcliffe Brown, Merton, Lipset, Coleman, and Blau are among the foremost representatives of structuralism intentionally defined. De Saussure, Lévi-Strauss, Barthes, and Althusser, among others, represent structuralism effectively defined.

Sandro Segre is a retired professor of sociology and sociological theory, which he taught at the University of Genoa. Some of his recent publications include Bauman, Elias, and Latour on Modernity and Its Alternatives (2020), Business and Financial Markets: A Weberian Analysis (2016), Contemporary Sociological Thinkers and Theories (2014), Introduction to Habermas (2012), and Talcott Parsons: An Introduction (2012).

Keywords

Effective definition intentional definition roles social positions structuralism structure

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Social Theory , pp. 250 - 271

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316677445.014 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2020

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13 - Structuralism

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