Structuralism, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as, “a method of analysis (as of a literary text or a political system) that is related to cultural anthropology and that focuses on recurring patterns of thought and behavior.”
Simply put, structuralism is a way of analysis focusing on recurring patterns of thought and behavior in societies. How societies think, adapt, and behave over different periods of time is studied deeply by anthropologists using structuralism.
In “The Beautiful and the Ugly Are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection on Culture” Stanley Diamond criticizes Keats for believing that “a thing of beauty is a joy for ever” and discusses this in depth in relation to differing societies and cultures. He believes that beauty and joy are very different when seen from new perspectives and new cultural views. He says that “Ultimately, all forms of structuralism and mechanical materialism define human activities as universally conceived functions that lose their cultural-historical specificity.” Diamond thinks that studying recurring thoughts and behaviors in societies defines human behavior as widely known functions that lose their cultural-historical specificity. He believes that, for example, eating is a universal function but everyone eats in different ways and eats different meals. Therefore, Diamond is accentuating that all forms of structuralism define human behavior to be universally known functions that are losing their cultural-historical value.
