History reintroduced: temporality and human action

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to dis-
cuss three different approaches to the issue of the
relationship between myth and history which have
been developed from Lévi-Strauss’ discussion of
the subject. The essay focuses on the works of Ma-
nuela Carneiro da Cunha, Marshall Sahlins and
Peter Gow and shows how these unfoldings have
contributed to shed light over some aspects of Lévi-
Strauss’ theory of which there are only glimpses in
his work. What is peculiar to these three views in
reworking their common source is the way in whi-
ch the traditional issue of temporality in mythical
thought is dealt with by ethnographically focusing
on individual acts in social life. Thus the role of
creating, one might say, inventing the never-ending
process of culture is ascribed to individual agents.