ABSTRACT
Inwhatsense,then,isinequalityuniversalandinwhatsense isequalitypossible?HowfaristhesomewhatlongerWestern experiencewiththemodernurgetoe<1ualityanaccurateguide forcontemporaryAsianandAfricanpeopleswithsimilaraspirations-orfor\Vesternobserverswhowishtounderstandthose aspirations'?Anthropologistsandotherstudentsofhumansociety andculturetrytoanswerthesequestionsthroughthecomparative studyofsocietiesofdiversekinds.Theirinvestigationssuggest thate<1ualityandine<1uality,likemostsocialandculturalfeatures whichengageourattention,arccomplexphenomenawhichcan bestbeunderstoodbybreakingthemdownanalyticallyinto theirconstituentelements.Inthiswayweareabletoseemore
238 LLOYD A. FALLERS clearly the different combinations of elements which produce the differences in actual social life that interest us.
