Barbari e selvaggi. Differenze e intrecci culturali tra Jean de Léry, Montaigne, Lévi-Strauss

The idea of questioning of Lévi-Strauss’assomption about the notion of interculturality is born from the pages that the author of "Tristes tropiques" dedicated to Jean de Léry and Michel de Montaigne. The latter in particular is the focal point of arguments developed in this article. It examines some passages of Léry’s "Histoire d’un voyage faict en la terre du Brésil" and Montaigne’s "Essais" wich reveal a considerable relevance for present discours about interculturality, but also some chapters of Race et histoire, "Tristes tropiques" and "Race et culture", where Lévi-Strauss’ reflection expands and goes beyond the ethnographic and ethnological discourse, assuming a philosophical dimension. In these texts Lévi-Strauss seems to give less space to invariant elements, beliefs and myths across culures, and be more interested in clarifying the links between cultures with the aim of illustrating the profound importance of the existence of a multiplicity of different cultures. In these works Lévi-Strauss seems to resume and strengthen some considerations of Michel de Montaigne.