Totemism 1st. Edition

by Claude Levi-Strauss (Author), Rodney Needham (Translator)

4 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0807046715

ISBN-10: 080704671X

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Condition: Used - Acceptable

In Stock. Sold by Jenson Books Inc, Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

47 Used from $6.11

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Select delivery location

Turn on 1-Click ordering

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

This item ships to France. Want it Tuesday, July 3? Order within and choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

27 New from $10.55

Select delivery location

Turn on 1-Click ordering

More Buying Choices

27 New from $10.55 47 Used from $6.11

74 used & new from $6.11

See All Buying Options

Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

"Levi-Strauss continues his assault on the myth of the primitice as savage by turning to the phenomena of totemism an totoemix classification ... to show, contrary to this myth, that primitive thought rests upon a rich and complex conceptual structure." – Commentary

Frequently bought together

Total price: $46.67

Buy the selected items together

This item:Totemism by Claude Levi-Strauss Paperback $17.10
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Savage Mind (The Nature of Human Society Series) by Claude Lévi-Strauss Paperback $13.77
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies by Marcel Mauss Paperback $15.80
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Claude Lévi-Strauss

11

Paperback
$13.77
Marcel Mauss

21

Paperback
$15.80
Edward E.…

2

Paperback
$61.35
Henri Hubert

2

Paperback
$28.80
Clifford Geertz

26

Paperback
87 offers from $2.50
Claude Levi-Strauss

25

Paperback
$13.00

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Levi-Strauss's consideration of totemism is a theoretical tour de force." – The Humanist

"An exeptionally brilliant and pathbreaking thinker. Serious students cannot afford to miss this book." – Library Journal

"From the startling analogy in its very first line to its valedictory bow in the direction of Rousseau, this is a stimulating book." – American Anthropologist

About the Author

Claude Lévi-Strauss (28 November 1908 – 30 October 2009) was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer and Franz Boas, the "father of modern anthropology".

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Beacon Press; 1st. edition (June 1, 1971)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 080704671X
ISBN-13: 978-0807046715
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #29 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Movements > Structuralism
- #76 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Movements > Phenomenology
- #367 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Customs & Traditions

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

5 star

4 star

3 star (0%)

2 star (0%)

1 star (0%)

Write a customer review

See all 4 customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Down with fuzzy thinking!

March 7, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I had no intention of reading this book. The book I wanted to read was Levi-Strauss’s THE SAVAGE MIND. However, that book begins with “This book is complete in itself, but the problems it discusses are closely linked to those which I surveyed more hastily in a recent work entitled TOTEMISM (trans. Rodney Needham, London, 1964). Without wishing to oblige the reader to refer to it, it is proper to draw his attention to the connection between the two: the first forms a kind of historical and critical introduction to the second.” So I put down the book and ordered TOTEMISM. I do not have a strong background in anthropology. My reason for reading the book is to research another project.

“Totemism” was the most difficult thing for me to understand in Durkheim’s THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF RELIGIOUS LIFE. But I just decided that it wasn’t important for me to understand for my particular project. However, I was obviously not the only one who didn’t understand “Totemism.” On reading this book, I now understood why: because there’s no such thing! (Levi-Strauss compares it to writing about “Hysteria.”) Levi-Strauss carefully lays out all the reasons that such eminent and respected minds as Boas, Malinowsky, and Durkheim (among others) were mistaken. Most of the time, I had no difficulty following Levi-Strauss’s arguments, but I occasionally found it helpful to read some brief encyclopedic entries about some of the people and things he mentions. But those with a better background should have no problem. This was, for me at least, a fascinating book and I was awed by the solution that Levi-Strauss comes up with. According to him, the anthropologists had got it all wrong! For the correct answer, look all the way back to Rousseau (!) and then hear what the 20th Century philosopher Henri Bergson has to say. And Levi-Strauss makes it seem perfectly obvious. I can’t wait to start THE SAVAGE MIND. Five stars.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Amazon Customer

Fundamental thematic development totems ...

July 28, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I loved this book, even did a painting on it. I can't imagine not having read it.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Michel Heller

An awakener from Anthropology

February 2, 2002

Format: Paperback

A classic of 20th Century intellectual creativity, that has been recognized as such, but that has not yet received the full attention it deserves. It has momentarelly be dispensed of as "old fashioned", when social sciences based on neuro-sciences has clearly not yet integrated the vast webb of implications the formulations of this volume generate.
An absolute must, even - or because - many formulations are arguable. It is not a book that proposes conclusions, but awakens our intelligence.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

J. Shepard

a classic, boring book

January 23, 2009

Format: Paperback

Don't read this book for pleasure. Only read it if you have to. It's useful if you have a good reason to read it.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: Totemism

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Claude Levi-Strauss

25

Paperback
$13.00
Claude Lévi-Strauss

11

Paperback
$13.77
Claude Lévi-Strauss

6

Paperback
$36.90
Claude Levi-strauss

4

Paperback
$24.60
Michel Foucault

22

Paperback
$12.76
Claude Levi-Strauss

1

Paperback
$34.43

Totemism 1st. Edition

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Totemism 1st. Edition

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $7.82 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $17.10 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$7.82 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$17.10 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open