Clifford Geertz and Bronislaw Malinowski represent two very different views on the role of the anthropologist. The difference lies in their definition of culture, Geertz favoring symbolism and Malinowski favoring functionalism. This leads to different approaches to the study of cultures. Their backgrounds also affected their outlooks on anthropology. Malinowski worked at the turn of the century, when the field was relatively young, and he founded the field of Social Anthropology known as functionalism (Parker, 1973). Functionalism is based on the belief that all the components of society interlock into a complete and well-balanced system which emphasizes such characteristics as beliefs, religions, rituals, ceremonies, customs and taboos.
Malinowski carried out field work among the Trobriand Islanders of New Guinea between 1915 and 1918, looking at social interactions such as their annual Kula Ring Exchange ceremonies, which he found to be associated with magic and religion, but also with kinship and trade. Through his studies with these peoples, he made contributions to cross-cultural psychology by looking at relationships, and even found evidence refuting FreudÆs Oedipus Complex theory by showing that among the Trobrianders, individual psychology depended on cultural context.
MalinowskiÆs emphasis on the functional nature of culture involved the principle that each part of a culture, be it a material object, a belief, a custom, or simply and idea, fulfills a vital function in that culture (Kardiner and Preble, 1961). Everything about a culture has a functional component. Everything serves some purpose, plays a role, represents something indispensable to that culture. In MalinowskiÆs own words, ôculture comprises inherited artefacts, goods, technical processes, ideas, habits, and values (Malinowski, 1931).ö
According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, ôfunctionalism in anthropology and sociology is a theory ...