Social Theorist
Clifford Geertz
GURTS (rhymes with "hurts"; not "GHEERTS")
Also Known As Clifford James Geertz (full birth name)
Anthropology
American cultural anthropologist regarded, for three decades, as the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States, known for founding symbolic and interpretive anthropology and for reworking the method of thick description, which reads cultural behavior for the meanings its own participants give it rather than treating it as mere observable movement. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account Death DateSourced to the subject's own account Death YearSourced to the subject's own account BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own accountSan Francisco, California, United States 1 Death PlaceSourced to the subject's own accountPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States 1 Nationality / CultureSourced to the subject's own account Defining ContributionSourced to the subject's own accountReworked the philosopher Gilbert Ryle's notion of thick description into a method for cultural anthropology, arguing culture should be read as an ensemble of texts whose meaning to their own participants, not merely their observable behavior, is the proper object of ethnographic interpretation. 1 Notable WorkSourced to the subject's own accountThe Interpretation of Cultures (1973) 1 Connections
Associated With
Clifford Geertz's interpretive anthropology (thick description) relies heavily on the emic/etic distinction.
His doctoral advisor at the University of Chicago was Clifford Geertz.
Source Wikipedia: Paul Rabinow
Theories Developed
Source Wikipedia: Thick Description
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaIntroduction, description
Clifford James Geertz (August 23, 1926 - October 30, 2006) was an American anthropologist who was known for his influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology and who was considered for three decades the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States.
Introduction, birth date
Clifford James Geertz (August 23, 1926 - October 30, 2006) was an American anthropologist.
Infobox, birthplace
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Infobox, place of death
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Interpretive anthropology section, thick description
A thick description is a description of human social action that describes not just physical behaviors, but their context as interpreted by the actors as well, so that it can be better understood by an outsider.
Bibliography, notable work
The Interpretation of Cultures (1973), which established him as an anthropological theorist.
Introduction, pronunciation audio
Clifford James Geertz ( /gerts/ )
View the Source Wikipedia: Paul Rabinow
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.