Structuralism permits thinking structure apart from relations between people.

Evidence

“Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will” is a better starting point than a simple heroic affirmation. Structuralism does enable us to begin to think—as Marx insisted—of the relations of a structure on the basis of something other than their reduction to relationships between “people.” This was Marx’s privileged level of abstraction: that which enabled him to break with the obvious but incorrect starting point of “political economy”—that of bare individuals. — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 198

Categorization

• XREF: Ties structuralist method to Marx’s break with classical political economy’s individualist starting point — directly serving the reader’s interest in economic thought.
• DEFINE: Clarifies why structuralist abstraction (structure not people) is Marx’s privileged epistemic level.