This cited by count includes citations to the following articles in scholar. After serving in the navy from 1943 through 1945, he studied under the g. Clifford geertz, emphasizing interpretation depaul university. Navy in world war ii 194345, geertz studied at antioch college, ohio b. Department of anthropology, northwestern university, evanston, il, usa this paper considers the conceptual, ethnographic, ethical, and methodological implications of. After the fact is clifford geertz s jerusalemharvard lectures, jointly sponsored by the hebrew university of jerusalem and harvard university. The refiguration of social thought have functioned for many as intellectual signposts, enabling scholars in a variety of fields to make provisional sense of the intellectual ferment surrounding them. He was considered for 30 years one of the most important cultural anthropologists in the united states. Selected essays clifford geertz basic books, 1973 chapter i thick description. In the next, brief section, i explain the phrase blurring genres before.
Geertz the uses of diversity 255 strauss, incorrigible, read his entire text, apparently at high speed, in the time left. Clifford geertz editors introduction it should not be surprising, after reading raymond williamss etymology of culture see p. Rather, it is a web of symbols that can help us better understand what that behavior means. Ethnography in a time of blurred genres deep blue university of. Clifford geertz simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. How does geertzs example of the difference between a twitch and a wink demonstrate the interpretive relevance of thick description. One is that there has been an enormous amount of genre mixing in intellectual life in recent years, and it is, such blurring of kinds, continuing apace.
Clifford geertzs influential definition of religions as providing their members with both an ethos and a worldviewin his terms, both a model for and model of realityhas of late become a neuralgic point of contention in religious studies. We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Works by or about clifford geertz in libraries worldcat catalog hypergeertzworldcatalogue, contains all publications directly or indirectly noted public contributions by prof. The refiguration of social thought clifford geertz the american scholar 49. Eastern illinois university course proposal eng 3009g.
We use cookies to offer you a better experience, personalize content, tailor advertising, provide social media features, and better understand the use of our services. Clifford geertz on writing and rhetoric lisa ede thejac interview with clifford geertz provides elegant confirmationif anyone needed itof the reasons why this closet rhetoricians work has drawn the attention of many in composition studies. A meetup event from philosophy reading circle, a meetup with over 45 philosophy readers. 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. Genre blurring and public administration griffith research online. Under geertzs leadership, the school of social science became a place where scholars could study contentious social problems.
In blurred genres, i argue, first, that this seemingly anom. That is why, for a long time, we were satisfied with clifford geertz s idea that all the genre required was thick description geertz 1973. Composition and pluralism geertz is an articulate scholar whose work transcends the boundaries of his. Certain one is that in recent years there has been an enormous amount of genre mixing in social science, as in intellectual life generally, and such blurring of kinds is continuing apace. Toward an interpretive theory of culture study questions 1. 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. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. I certainly admire his effort to document the javanese culture and provide as most important sources into the understanding of javanese. Bill at antioch college in yellow springs, ohio, where he first majored in english. Nov 01, 2006 clifford geertz was a cultural anthropologist whose work focused on interpreting the symbols he believed give meaning and order to peoples lives. Introduction the concept of the interpretation of cultures in anthropology is primarily associated with the work of clifford geertz. In 1980, anthropologist and cultural critic clifford geertz published an essay in the american scholar that projected for many the intellectual shifts. The uses diversity tanner lectures on human values.
The ones marked may be different from the article in the profile. Clifford geertz is one of the foremost figures in the reconfiguration of the boundary between the social sciences and the humanities. Library of congress cataloging in publication data geertz, clifford. Clifford geertz, american cultural anthropologist, a leading rhetorician and proponent of symbolic anthropology and interpretive anthropology. Hermeneutics the theory of interpretation has only recently become a familiar term to those working in the social sciences, at least in the englishspeaking world. Clifford geertz was born in san francisco, california, on august 23, 1926. 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 culture and the evolution of mind 55 part iii chapter 41 religion as a cultural system 87 chapter 51 ethos, world view, and the analysis of. The human sciences and cultural sociology jeffrey c.
Debating self, identity, and culture in anthropology. Do not be troubled by the fact that some reduced languages he has just invented for didactic purposes consist only of imperatives. Clifford geertz on writing and rhetoric jac online. Geertz, along with such scholars as donald mccloskey the rhetoric of economics, james boyd. A few zealots persist in the old keytotheuni verse view of it. One is that there has been an enormous amount of genre. Further essays in interpretive social science new york. Geertz has helped map the changes that post modern life and thought have entailed. Contents preface part i 4 chapter 11 thick description. I truths about the social sciences today seem selfevident.
Geertz s program has emerged gradually over the last two decades and is most apparent in two articles. A thick description typically adds a record of subjective explanations and meanings provided by the people engaged in the behaviors, making the collected data of greater value for studies by other social scientists. Something is happening to the way we think about the way we think. It is therefore important to reassess the possibilities and limits of ethnography as a literary genre if we are to understand the idiosyncrasies of its art. Clifford geertz american anthropologist britannica. Clifford geertz has characterized the western concept of the self as peculiar in that it is a bounded, unique, more or less integrated motivational and cognitive universe, a dynamic center of awareness, emotion, judgement and action organized into a distinctive whole and set contrastively against other such.
Clifford geertz basicbooks a subsidiary of ftrseus books, l. The reconfigura tion of social thought, in local knowledge. He is known for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology. 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. Appropriate to its venue, the books addresses major questions, making strong theoretical and empirical claims. His collection of essays of the same name has become an indispensable reading for most of the anthropology courses throughout the world geertz 1973.
Another is that many social scientists have turned away from a laws and instances. Toward an interpretive theory of culture 1973a and blurred genres. Attendees blurred genres, clifford geertz 1980 meetup. Notes on the balinese cockfight is one of clifford geertz s most. The interpretation of cultures selected essays by clifford geertz basic books, inc. Attendees of blurred genres, clifford geertz 1980 on saturday, october 22, 2016 in victoria, bc.
Culture, geertz argues, does not drive human behavior. 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. Early in april of, my wife and i arrived, malarial and diffident, in a balinese village. This genre blurring is more than just a matter of harry houdini or richard nixon turning up as characters in novels or of midwestern murder sprees described as. The refiguration of social thought clifford geertz i a number of things, i think, are true. 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. August 23, 1926 october 30, 2006 was an american anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology, and who was considered for three decades. As we blur genres, we bring the social technologist notion of what a social scientist is into question geertz 1983, 35. 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. Or why later, we accepted james clifford s idea that the genre was about our projections and allegories and nothing more clifford 1986.
Eastern illinois university course proposal eng 3009g, myth and culture. American economic association heidelberg university. So, this article blurs genres, combining political science and cultural. Peter goddard, professor in the school of natural sciences and former director of the institute remarked, clifford geertz was one of the major intellectual figures of the twentieth century whose presence at the. Clifford geertz, and richard rorty could be added to a long and growing list of such. Blurred genres the refiguration of social thought clifford geertz i truths about the social sciences today seem selfevident. Clifford james geertz august 23, 1926 october 30, 2006 was an american anthropologist. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising.
506 83 141 144 389 1133 1096 1359 1364 1277 387 1490 441 1418 538 42 1629 1211 146 519 110 1316 671 1118 953 227 1137 1349 851 515 783 1369 869 889 500 410 300 948