The author starts out by examining the persistence of the issues surrounding functionalism. He suggests that this has to do with the fact that the functionalist approach is a manifestation of a broader framework which constituted the epistemological ground for the development of the social sciences. He further suggests that this framework is now becoming obsolete and goes on to examine some elements of an eventual alternative construction and some aspects of social reality (particularly in Brazil and through the work of Roberto Da Matta) that should be taken into consideration.
