Social Theorists
Clifford Geertz
GURTS (rhymes with "hurts"; not "GHEERTS")
Also Known As Clifford James Geertz (full birth name)
Anthropology
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
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.
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 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaIntroduction, descriptionQuote, Introduction, 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.
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaIntroduction, birth dateQuote, Introduction, birth date
Clifford James Geertz (August 23, 1926 - October 30, 2006) was an American anthropologist.
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaInfobox, birthplaceQuote, Infobox, birthplace
San Francisco, California, U.S.
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaInfobox, place of deathQuote, Infobox, place of death
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaInterpretive anthropology section, thick descriptionQuote, 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.
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaBibliography, notable workQuote, Bibliography, notable work
The Interpretation of Cultures (1973), which established him as an anthropological theorist.
1. Wikipedia: Clifford Geertz
WikipediaIntroduction, pronunciation audioQuote, Introduction, pronunciation audio
Clifford James Geertz ( /gerts/ )
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.