What gets better is the precision with which we vex each other. With the interpretation of cultures, the distinguished anthropologist clifford geertz developed the concept of thick description, and in so doing, he virtually rewrote the rules of his field. The interpretation of cultures is an academic classic. This is the first fullscale study of the work of clifford geertz, who is one of the bestknown anthropologists in the world today. Do not be troubled by the fact that some reduced languages he has just invented for didactic purposes consist only of imperatives. Toward an interpretive vii theory of culture 3 part ii chapter 21 the impact of the concept of culture on the concept of man 33 chapter 31 the growth of. Clifford geertz and the concept of culture prospects. Clifford geertz interpretazioni di culture parte prima 1 verso una teoria interpretativa della cultura cultura. This is a digital version of material made under licence from the rightsholder, and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The book is structured around anthropological description, with geertz relying on field data he gathered mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. The interpretation of cultures selected essays by clifford geertz basic books, inc. Clifford geertz deep play notes on the balinese cockfight. A obra do antropologo clifford geertz 19262006 transformou as convencoes da escrita. Further essays in interpretive anthropology,1 picks up where his pathbreaking the interpretation of cultures2 left off.
Toward an interpretive theory of culture i in her book, philosophy in a new key, susanne langer remarks that certain ideas burst upon the intellectual landscape with a tremendous force. In a lively and accessible introduction to his work. An analytic overview clifford geertz s book, local knowledge. In particular, geertz is associated with heralding the interpretive turn in anthropology and steering the discipline, or the sociocultural part of it at least, away from research designs. Clifford geertz american anthropologist britannica. Notes on the balinese cockfight article written by clifford geertz presents his analysis and study of the balinese culture while addressing the significance cockfighting in the formation of the culture. Clifford geertz 1926present is best known for his ethnographic studies of javanese culture java is an indonesian island south of borneo and for his writings about the interpretation of culture. The late clifford geertz was lauded for his 1973 anthropological volume, and i do not find this to be hype. Clifford geertzs thick description explained summary. Following ryle, geertz holds that anthropologys task is that of explaining cultures through thick description which specifies many details, conceptual structures and meanings, and which is opposed to thin description which is a factual account without any interpretation. Selected essays clifford geertz basic books, 1973 chapter i thick description. Navy in world war ii 194345, geertz studied at antioch college, ohio b.
Clifford geertz, american cultural anthropologist, a leading rhetorician and proponent of symbolic anthropology and interpretive anthropology. The interpretation of cultures clifford geertz is mu. Culture, geertz argues, does not drive human behavior. Clifford geertz has observed that anthropology is a science whose progress is marked less by a perfection of consensus than by a refinement of debate. Clifford geertz biography, life, interesting facts early years and education. It seems, even when made of words in the literary arts, all the more so when made of pigment, sound, stone or whatever in the nonliterary ones, to exist in a world of its own, beyond the reach of discourse. Clifford geertz and the concept of culture volume 8 karen lystra.
Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This cited by count includes citations to the following articles in scholar. Clifford geertz once stated, the guiding principle is the same. The ones marked may be different from the article in the profile. Geertz outlined culture as a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and. For clifford geertz, culture was by the 1960s stuck in a conceptual morass in which the term was being stretched to explain an eclectic array of human phenomena. Theoretical diffusion was, he argued, undermining the analytical power of culture and weakening the. The most influential aspect of geertz s work has been his emphasis on the importance of the symbolic of systems of meaning as it relates to culture, cultural change, and the study of culture. Clifford james geertz was an american anthropologist and served until his death as professor emeritus at the institute for advanced study, princeton, new jersey. Common sense as a cultural system by clifford geertz very early on in that album of notional games and abrupt metaphors he called philosophical investigations, wittgenstein compares language to a city. Clifford geertz author of the interpretation of cultures. Geertz interpretazione di culture interpretazione di. Clifford james geertz was an american anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his.
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