Tristes Tropiques

A milestone in cultural research by the father of structural anthropology.

This groundbreaking work documents Claude Lévi-Strauss' search for "a human society, reduced to its most basic expression." From the Amazon region to the dense mountain jungles of Brazil, Lévi-Strauss found the societies he sought among the Caduveo, Bororo, Nambikwara, and Tupi-Kawahib. Tristes Tropiques not only recounts his time among them but also places the cultural practices of these peoples in a global context, extrapolating a fascinating cultural theory that gives the book significance far beyond the realms of anthropology and continental philosophy. The author's fresh approach, sense of humor, and openness to the sensual mystique of the tropics make the scientific content of the book highly accessible.

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