The Interpretation Of Cultures

Clifford Geertz

Basic Books, 1973 - History - 470 pages

In The Interpretation of Cultures, the most original anthropologist of his generation moved far beyond the traditional confines of his discipline to develop an important new concept of culture. This groundbreaking book, winner of the 1974 Sorokin Award of the American Sociological Association, helped define for an entire generation of anthropologists what their field is ultimately about.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - DaveCullen - LibraryThing

This is the best book I've ever read on cultural anthropology, and a great influence on my work. "Thick description" is the term Geertz coined for what he did. I try.

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - danielbeattie - LibraryThing

An interesting read. Geertz puts forth a semiotic view of culture. States that culture is a semiotic framework that we use to navigate in the world we live in. He also argues in favour of "thick ...

Contents

• Thick Description Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture: 3
• PART II: 31
• The Impact of the Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man: 33
• The Growth of Culture and the Evolution of Mind: 55
• PART III: 85
• Religion As a Cultural System: 87
• Ethos World View and the Analysis of Sacred Symbols: 126
• Ritual and Social Change A Javanese Example: 142
• Internal Conversion in Contemporary Bali: 170
• PART IV: 191
• Ideology As a Cultural System: 193
• After the Revolution The Fate of Nationalism in the New States: 234
• The Integrative Revolution Primordial Sentiments and Civil Politics in the New States: 255
• The Politics of Meaning: 311
• Politics Past Politics Present Some Notes on the Uses of Anthropology in Understanding the New States: 327
• The Cerebral Savage On the Work of Claude LeviStrauss: 345
• Person Time and Conduct in Bali: 360
• Deep Play Notes on the Balinese Cockfight: 412
• Acknowledgments: 455
• Index: 457

About the author

Clifford Geertz (1926-2006) was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His book Works and Lives: The Anthropologist as Author won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1988.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Interpretation Of Cultures; Basic Books Classics Series; Basic book-s; Volume 5019 of Harper colophon books; Volume 5043 of Harper torchbooks
• Author: Clifford Geertz
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Basic Books, 1973
• ISBN: 0465097197, 9780465097197
• Length: 470 pages
• Subjects: History / Historiography; Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics / Historical & Comparative; Literary Criticism / Semiotics & Theory; Philosophy / Hermeneutics; Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social; Social Science / Essays; Social Science / Sociology / General