RadcliffeBrown

Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown (1881–1955) was a British social anthropologist who helped to formulate and promote structural functionalism, a theoretical approach that seeks to explain social practices in terms of their role within the larger social system. He argued that societies are integrated wholes and that social institutions such as kinship, religion, and law function to maintain social solidarity and stability.

Radcliffe-Brown conducted fieldwork among diverse populations, including the Great Andamanese of the Andaman Islands and Aboriginal communities in Australia. From these studies he developed a structural view of social life, emphasizing patterned relationships and the way institutions stabilize the social order. His work stressed that to understand a practice one should investigate the role it plays within the social structure rather than its psychological meaning for individuals.

Among his notable publications are The Andaman Islanders (on Andamanese social organization), The Social Organization of Australian Tribes (on Australian Aboriginal societies), and Structure and Function in Primitive Society (a collection of essays that synthesizes his theoretical program). Radcliffe-Brown’s approach influenced British social anthropology and provided a counterpoint to Malinowski’s emphasis on individual needs, shaping debates about structure, function, and social order. Critics later argued that his focus on structure risked neglecting change, agency, and historical context. Nevertheless, his work remains foundational for discussions of social structure and the functional analysis of culture.