''The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays'' is a 1973 book by the American anthropologist

Clifford Geertz Clifford James Geertz (; 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 decade ...

. The book was listed in the ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to '' The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' as one of the 100 most important publications since World War Two.

Background

At the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, Geertz became a champion of symbolic anthropology, a framework which gives prime attention to the role of symbols in constructing public meaning. In ''The Interpretation of Cultures'' (1973), Geertz studied culture as text. "Reading" of culture is important. To understand a culture, the organization of social activity, its institutional forms and the system of ideas which animate it must be understood; culture and social structure are two important analytical aspects in the study of culture. The personality of individual human beings, history, symbols (rituals, gestures, practices, tools etc) are important to study a culture.

Influence

Geertz was awarded the Sorokin Award in 1974 by the

American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...

"for his brilliant essays on ''The Interpretation of Cultures''." "Sorokin Award to Geertz and Jencks," ''ASA Footnotes'', Vol. 2, No. 8 (American Sociological Association, 1974): 3.
/ref> The book is considered to be influential within the anthropological discipline, particularly in terms of the discussion of thick description as a construct for examining social phenomena.

References

1973 non-fiction books Anthropology books Basic Books books English-language books Ethnographic literature {{ethnography-book-stub

Background

Influence

See also

References