Radcliffee

Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. “On Social Structure.”

* Radcliffe Brown has been known as a “structuralist” in social anthropology. He stresses the importance of the comparative method in social anthropology. His approach to social structure is anthropological. This is amply clear by his above mentioned explanation of social structure with reference to primitive social structure. His socialanthropology however, is comparative sociology. Therefore, his observations on the concept of social structure are equally useful in social anthropology as well as in sociology.
* The object of study was "social system" or "social process", true relationships of connectivity between individuals performing social roles, between "people" at a given time. This constitutes the "social structure" whichis no abstraction. "It consists of the sum total of all the social relations of all individuals at a given time."
* Radcliffe-Brown defines institution as, "...an established or socially recognized system of norms or patterns of conduct referring to some aspect of social life." Family is an example of institution in which sets the patterns of behavior of the members in relation to one another.* Social Institutions the expected conduct of a person in a certain relationships. They define and restraint a person how he is expected to behave. But not only that in addition how he may expect others to behave. Institution have their own system of sanction behind it.
* But while this would be what the researcher field notes, he describes something different, "structural form": thenormal pattern of relationships he abstracted flow observed reality. This corresponds to what is now generally called "social structure".
* The "structural form" is spelled out in the "uses and social norms" which are recognized mandatory and widely observed. They, therefore, have the characteristics of "social facts" of Durkheim, but R. Brown insists that are not deducted but observed: "A use orsocial norm not set by the anthropologist ... is characterized by what people say about standards in a given society, and what they do to your respect."
* Relationships learned thru institutions or institutional relationships determine the structural features of social life. Therefore Brown; Social structure therefore has to be described by the institutions, which define the proper orexpected conduct of persons in their various relationships.
* Social structure is an arrangement of individuals in institutionalized, roles and relationships. This arrangement is known as structural continuity. Since the individuals and groups constituting social structure, constantly change, one group or person being substituted by another group or person, the structural continuity is dynamic. Inthis continuity, while the matter changes the form remains the same.
* Social structure involves two important constituents, one the human individuals and groups and the other their arrangement through social institutions. In other words, it is the continuing arrangement of persons in relationships defined by social institutions which is known as social structure.
* After removing thesocial form of different societies, we proceed to the comparison and classification, and then raise fundamental questions of social anthropology. Nevertheless, his method had some ambiguity regarding the procedures advocated. In fact, the method showed diffusion elements, and it was never clear comparison units.
* The ultimate goal was to make generalizations about the common features of all humansocieties. These generalizations constitute "social laws".
* The subject of social structure are the individual human beings who are born and who die. The form of social structure is supplied by social institutions. Thus the social institutions are responsible for the dynamic formal structural continuity.
* R. Brown argued that although social structures were in the process "of...