description Clifford Geertz Overview
Clifford Geertz was an American anthropologist central to the development of interpretive, or symbolic, anthropology. He introduced the method of "thick description," which treats culture as a system of meaning to be read rather than measured. His fieldwork was primarily conducted in Indonesia and Morocco.
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Clifford Geertz ranks #1 of 191 in the Anthropologist ranking, ahead of Margaret Mead.
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What did Clifford Geertz mean by 'thick description'?
Geertz introduced 'thick description' as a method that interprets not just observable behaviors but the layered meanings behind them, drawing on the philosopher Gilbert Ryle's work. He argued that anthropology should treat culture as a system of symbols to be interpreted rather than measured quantitatively.
Where did Clifford Geertz conduct his fieldwork?
Geertz conducted fieldwork primarily in Indonesia and Morocco. His studies of Javanese religion, Balinese cockfighting, and Moroccan bazaars became classic texts in interpretive anthropology.
What institution was Clifford Geertz associated with?
Geertz spent much of his career at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Earlier, he was affiliated with the University of Chicago, where he helped develop the approach known as symbolic or interpretive anthropology.
What did Geertz mean by describing culture as a system of meaning?
Geertz argued that culture consists of publicly shared symbols and meanings through which people interpret their experiences, rather than internal psychological states or universal laws. This perspective distinguished interpretive anthropology from earlier schools that sought to discover general scientific laws of human behavior.
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