The following text describes 'Structuralism' in anthropology. Structuralism, championed by Claude Lévi-Strauss, posits that human culture must be understood by way of its relationship to a broader, overarching system or structure. It argues that the underlying patterns of human thought are universal and produce cultural phenomena—like myths, kinship systems, and language—that are structurally similar across diverse societies. Thus, the meaning of a cultural element is not intrinsic but derives from its contrast with other elements within the system (binary oppositions like raw/cooked, life/death).