▁or ▁belief , ▁that ▁the ▁former ▁had ▁been ▁resolved . ▁ ▁Anth rop ological ▁theories ▁ ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ' s ▁theory ▁is ▁set ▁forth ▁in ▁Struct ural ▁Anth rop ology ▁( 1 9 5 8 ). ▁Br ief ly , ▁he ▁cons iders ▁culture ▁a ▁system ▁of ▁symbol ic ▁communication , ▁to ▁be ▁investig ated ▁with ▁methods ▁that ▁others ▁have ▁used ▁more ▁narrow ly ▁in ▁the ▁discussion ▁of ▁nov els , ▁political ▁speech es , ▁sports , ▁and ▁mov ies . ▁His ▁reasoning ▁makes ▁best ▁sense ▁when ▁contrast ed ▁against ▁the ▁background ▁of ▁an ▁earlier ▁generation ' s ▁social ▁theory . ▁He ▁wrote ▁about ▁this ▁relationship ▁for ▁dec ades . ▁ ▁A ▁preference ▁for ▁" function al ist " ▁explan ations ▁domin ated ▁the ▁social ▁sciences ▁from ▁the ▁turn ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁through ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s , ▁which ▁is ▁to ▁say ▁that ▁anth rop olog ists ▁and ▁soci olog ists ▁tried ▁to ▁state ▁the ▁purpose ▁of ▁a ▁social ▁act ▁or ▁institution . ▁The ▁existence ▁of ▁a ▁thing ▁was ▁explained , ▁if ▁it ▁ful filled ▁a ▁function . ▁The ▁only ▁strong ▁alternative ▁to ▁that ▁kind ▁of ▁analysis ▁was ▁historical ▁explanation , ▁account ing ▁for ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁a ▁social ▁fact ▁by ▁stating ▁how ▁it ▁came ▁to ▁be . ▁ ▁The ▁idea ▁of ▁social ▁function ▁developed ▁in ▁two ▁different ▁ways , ▁however . ▁The ▁English ▁anth rop ologist ▁Alfred ▁Regin ald ▁Rad cl iffe - B rown , ▁who ▁had ▁read ▁and ▁adm