Definition: British anthropologist A. R. Radcliffe-Brown is perhaps best known as one of the proponents of the notion of functionalism, and putting to the test the concepts developed by Bronislaw Malinowski. Basically, functionalism argues that even the strangest activities of a culture have a beneficial purpose which may be unknown to its participants. Radcliffe-Brown conducted work on kinship studies in the Andaman Islands, Africa, and Australia, and taught at the University of Sydney for a number of years.
Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. 1965 Structure and function and primitive society. New York: The Free Press.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. 1965 Structure and function and primitive society. New York: The Free Press.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
