French structural anthropology evolved throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and was shaped by many well-known theorists, sociologists, and anthropologists. Their influence led to the theories of structural Marxism and the thought processes involved continue to influence anthropological studies in modern times. Classical cultural anthropology never really took root in France, thanks to Emile Durkheim. The identity of French anthropology was not an innate departure from its 19th-century heritage, but rather a continuation of earlier theory. Structural anthropology is interested in the elements of society and, although they are invisible in social structures, they are invisible in observed social phenomena. Emil Durkhiem was born in 1858 and died in 1917. He was a pioneer in the field of sociology, considered by many to be the father of the field. Durkheim did not believe in conflict but rather in a harmoniously defined society. Durkheim studied social phenomena in the collective mind, society as a whole, and how society shaped the individual. His theories shaped structural anthropology and the anthropologists who followed. Marcel Mauss was Durkheim's student, as well as his nephew. He was born in 1872 and was a French sociologist. He had a successful career, which included collaboration with his uncle Durkheim. Mauss's authority in anthropology came not from his fieldwork or ethnographic monographs, but rather from his conscientious attention to the theoretical questions that were the focus of many published works. Mauss strove to understand the structured nature of social coherence, which constructs "total social facts", which have implications in society in legal, religious, political and economic circles. This ...... middle of paper ...... had become Lono, in precolonial Hawaii, a god responsible for fertility and fecundity (Erickson & Murphy,, 1008 121), and would reappear to interpret his divinity. functions the following year. In contrast was Obeyesekere, who believed that the Hawaiians were aware of the Europeans' intentions for colonization and agriculture. Structural anthropology has given us many insights into theory and practice. Many of the key figures in the development of structuralism were eminent French social scientists, but not all came from the field of anthropology. Structuralism is a good example of a group's ideas being drawn upon, from Mauss's thoughts on gifts, to Lévi-Strauss's thoughts on kinship, to incorporation of Marxism in anthropology. Structuralism may not be as influential today as it was in the past, but it continues to impact gooseberry anthropology.