Difference Between Malinowski And Radcliffe-Brown

Bronisław Malinowski and Alfred Radcliffe-Brown are two anthropologists who contributed greatly to their field of study. Both considered themselves to be functionalists. The key difference between these two is how they explain the function of religion, more specifically whose needs did religion take care of. Both were influenced by Émile Durkheim, who believed that religion was an entity that all societies needed in order for them to be united and held together.
Malinowski defined religion with a functionalist theory of human needs, more specifically, the needs of an individual. He thought of religion as a form a psychological support for someone facing death. On the other hand, Radcliffe-Brown claimed that religion went beyond the individual.