Func onalism (Malinowski) vs.

Radcliffe-Brown's Structural Common Ground:

Structural Func onalism (Radcliffe- Func onalism: 1. Anthropological Approach: Both viewed society
Brown) Founda on:
as a system, where different parts func on
together to maintain societal stability.
Malinowski's Func onalism: 1. Focuses on how social ins tu ons maintain the 2. Rejec on of Evolu onism and Diffusionism:
social structure and the condi ons for societal They reacted against earlier evolu onary and
Founda on: diffusionist theories of culture.
stability.
1. Focuses on how culture serves to meet individual 2. Social structure refers to the ordered sets of 3. Focus on Social Ins tu ons: Both thinkers
needs. rela onships between individuals and emphasized the role of social ins tu ons in
2. Social ins tu ons are a response to basic ins tu ons. maintaining the social order.
biological needs (e.g., reproduc on, food,
Key Features: Key Differences:
shelter).
1. Social Structure Over Biological Needs: Radcliffe- Focus on Needs vs. Structure:
Key Features:
Brown dismissed the importance of individual
1. Malinowski: Culture sa sfies individual biological
1. Psychological Func onalism: Believes that all needs. He focused on the interdependence of
and psychological needs.
customs and ins tu ons are interrelated. If one social ins tu ons and the role they play in
2. Radcliffe-Brown: Society func ons to maintain a
changes, others adapt accordingly. maintaining the con nuity of society.
social structure, with ins tu ons ac ng to keep
2. Need-Based: Human beings have a set of 2. Emphasis on Social Rela onships: Ins tu ons
the social system intact.
universal needs (e.g., food, reproduc on) that func on to perpetuate social rela onships, not to
cultural prac ces and ins tu ons fulfill. meet individual needs. Culture:
3. Bio-Cultural Func onalism: Malinowski viewed
Analogy: 1. Malinowski: Culture is central to human
culture as a "need-surveying system," which
ensures the survival and sa sfac on of individual existence and arises from the need to sa sfy
Used the organic analogy: Just as the organs in a
needs. biological needs.
body work to sustain life, social ins tu ons work to
2. Radcliffe-Brown: Culture is secondary, an
maintain the "health" of the social structure.
Research Approach: epiphenomenon, to the study of social structure.
Scien fic Approach:
Ethnography through Par cipant Observa on: Empirical Approach:
Malinowski emphasized observing social behaviour 1. Radcliffe-Brown wanted to make social
within its cultural context. 1. Malinowski: Focused on par cipant observa on
anthropology akin to a natural science, focusing
to understand how individuals interact within
on empirically observable phenomena.
Holis c Analysis: Ethnography starts from any part of cultural contexts.
2. Social laws regulate the func oning of socie es
the society, but inevitably connects to all aspects 2. Radcliffe-Brown: Advocated for a more scien fic
and can be discovered through scien fic inquiry.
(e.g., fishing in Trobriand Islands connec ng to and systema c approach to study the
economics, kinship, and religion). Notable Work: rela onships between ins tu ons.

Notable Work: The Andaman Islanders (1922): Based on his

intensive fieldwork, published the same year as
Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922): One of the
Malinowski’s work.
most widely read ethnographic studies.