La vitalità della casa. Il modello delle sociétés à maisons nella riflessione antropologica e archeologica e la sua applicazione al contesto mesoamericano

Abstract

Around the mid of the Seventies, Claude Lévi-Strauss proposed the notion of sociétés à maisons to clarify some aspects of the social organization of the Kwakiutl that had caused problems to Franz Boas. Lévi-Strauss’ proposal, even if formulated in a highly synthetic manner, arose a lively debate, witnessed by a series of volumes and articles. This article provides a synthesis of Lévi-Strauss’ proposal and of the debate it caused among anthropologists and archaeologists. In the final part, the text focuses on the application of the notion of sociétés à maisons to Mesoamerican societies, also proposing a possible application in the specific context of the city of Teotihuacan.