ABSTRACT
Les Structures élémentaires de la parenté is generally considered not only as one of the pivots in modern anthropological theory but also as a masterpiece of empirical analysis. We intend to assess its actual virtues in this respect by considering here one of the analyses Lévi-Strauss undertakes. We have chosen the Dieri case in particular because of its importance in earlier anthropological works, and because of the ‘anomalous’ character that Lévi-Strauss ascribes to it. 1
