Claude Lévi-Strauss, often referred to as “the father of modern anthropology,” was renowned in life for his unifying theories and sociological bridging between tribal and “civilized” cultures. The French anthropologist, who died on Oct. 30 at the age of 100, was honored in a panel discussion of his life’s work yesterday in the Kroch Library Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections.

“Lévi-Strauss made his most important contribution to anthropology with his ability to think outside the field,” said Prof. Andrew Willford, chair of the anthropology department. “He was clearly a giant who deserves dissection … and reflection.”

The event was sponsored by the French Studies department, and featured some of the University’s most eminent minds in French and anthropological studies.

The life of Lévi-Strauss was as diverse and sweeping as his corpus of work. Born in Brussels, Belgium, the young intellectual entered the renowned Sorbonne institution to study philosophy as an undergraduate. Following graduation, he took sundry school-teaching positions, but a turning point came in 1935, when he was invited to be part of a French mission to Brazil. He served as a visiting professor of sociology at the University of Sao Paolo, and took advantage of his proximity to the Amazon rainforest by venturing to study the native peoples. His studies of the Bororo and Guaycuru Indian tribes would serve as the basis for his early works; he would continue to do research on North and South American Indian tribes for 59 years.

During World War II, Lévi-Strauss moved to New York City, teaching at the New School for Social Research and regularly conversing with influential American anthropologist and Columbia University Professor Franz Boas. Boas’ view on cultural structures codified much of Lévi-Strauss’s work with the Amazon natives. After returning to Paris, he published The Elementary Structures of Kinship in 1949. The work was groundbreaking in its assertion that alliances between families are formed when women are “exchanged,” marrying men from different groups.

His theories on kinship kicked off a vibrant career, as he coined numerous terms and anthropological theories. He used his background in linguistics in many of his studies.

“He was trying to get at the underlying logic of human grammar,” said Prof. Jonathan Culler, English.

Fall of a giant: Professors from the anthropology, Romance studies and comparative literature departments discuss the life and work of Claude Lévi-Strauss yesterday.

Lévi-Strauss eventually derived the term “structuralism” for a school of thought that had been around for centuries. With structuralism, smaller fields could be analyzed as a microcosm of a larger, integrated system. This was crucial in many of Lévi-Strauss’ theories, as he contended that the minds of “savages” and the minds of “civilized” men did not operate as radically different as many had thought. Rather, he posited, there was an underlying framework to the human experience.

“It pushed anthropology to think much more complexly than it had,” said Prof. David Holmberg, anthropology. “If you look at the sweep of his work, it’s really quite a stunning engagement of human diversity.”

Lévi-Strauss’ most influential works studied the connections between tribal and Western civilizations. He developed the concepts of “incest taboo,” which is the stigma of sexual relations among relatives that is present in societies across the world. Much of his work is still relevant today in modern culture; indeed, many of his theories are invoked in debates about gay marriage. To recent politicians who contended his work supported the basis that gay marriage was wrong, Lévi-Strauss famously replied: “Anyone can exchange anyone.”

“Lévi-Strauss really tried to understand human beings as part of the animal world,” said Prof. Laurent Dubreuil, comparative literature and director of French studies. “In some respects, he’s one of the forefathers of socio-biology.”

The audience of about 20 people was mostly composed of academics, with students scattered throughout. The intellectual onlookers were involved with discussion as well, as several took their opportunity in the question-and-answer section to give their own take on the famed anthropologist.