Clifford Geertz

The Interpretation of Cultures

Essays on thick description method revealing how symbols create cultural meaning

About the author

Clifford Geertz
Clifford Geertz

American anthropologist who developed interpretive anthropology, arguing that culture should be read as a text rather than analyzed as a science. The Interpretation of Cultures introduced the concept of thick description. His essay on the Balinese cockfight is a classic of ethnographic writing.

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