The Interpretation of CulturesOne of the twentieth century's most influential books, this classic work of anthropology offers a groundbreaking exploration of what culture is 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. Culture, Geertz argues, does not drive human behavior. Rather, it is a web of symbols that can help us better understand what that behavior means. A thick description explains not only the behavior, but the context in which it occurs, and to describe something thickly, Geertz argues, is the fundamental role of the anthropologist. Named one of the 100 most important books published since World War II by the Times Literary Supplement, The Interpretation of Cultures transformed how we think about others' cultures and our own. This definitive edition, with a foreword by Robert Darnton, remains an essential book for anthropologists, historians, and anyone else seeking to better understand human cultures. |
Contents
Culture | |
The Growth of Culture and the Evolution of Mind | |
Religion as a Cultural System | |
Ethos World View and the Analysis of Sacred | |
A Javanese Example | |
New States | |
Primordial Sentiments | |
Uses of Anthropology in Understanding the | |
On the Work of Claude Lévi | |
Person Time and Conduct in Bali | |
Notes on the Balinese Cockfight | |
Acknowledgments | |
Internal Conversion in Contemporary Bali | |
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Common terms and phrases
abangans activity acts actually analysis animal anthropology aspects attempt Australopithecines Bali Balinese Barong behavior belief Berber called ceremony cock cockfight common complex concept concerned consociates context course culture define developed Dinka emotional empirical essentially ethnographic evolution existence experience expression fact feeling fight formulate function funeral groups hominid human ideas ideology important Indian individual Indonesia integration intellectual interpretation involved Islamic Java Javanese kampong Karman Korawas least less live man’s Masjumi matter meaning mental merely metaphysical mind modern Modin moods moral Morocco nature nervous Nigeria one’s organization particular pattern perhaps Permai play political pongids primordial problem psychological Rangda reality religion religious ringgits ritual role santris scientific seems sense significance slametan social structure society sociological sort Sukarno symbolic syncretism tend theoretical theory thick description things thought traditional village whole winking world view