Final answer:
Malinowski emphasized the functional complexity within cultures, arguing that all societies have intricate systems that meet various human needs. Unlike Boas, who stressed the unique historical trajectories, Malinowski focused on the role each aspect of culture plays in a society's function, notable in his work on the Trobriand Islanders.
Step-by-step explanation:
Malinowski differed from Boas by emphasizing the functional complexity of so-called primitive societies. While Franz Boas focused on the unique historical trajectories of cultures and opposed ethnocentric and unilineal evolutionist theories, Bronislaw Malinowski demonstrated through his detailed studies of the Trobriand people that even societies deemed primitive had complex cultural systems that addressed all human needs. Malinowski's approach highlighted that each component of a culture has a function in meeting the requirements of human life, a perspective manifested fully in his work among the Trobriand Islanders.
Boas, a cultural anthropologist, was a pioneer in advocating for an anthropological approach that directly engaged with indigenous peoples, geared toward understanding and preserving their cultures. Malinowski, on the other hand, is best known for his functionalist approach, looking into the social and cultural aspects of human lives and identifying their functions within the cultural system of a society.
Both anthropologists left significant marks in the field of social sciences by challenging contemporary views and adding depth to the understanding of cultural complexity and the critique of racism and ethnocentrism prevalent in the studies of their day.