Clifford Geertz (Anthropologist)

Clifford Geertz was a prominent American anthropologist known for his influential ideas on culture and interpretation. He emphasized that culture is essentially a system of meanings and symbols that shape human behavior. Geertz advocated for "thick description," a rich and detailed account of social practices, to understand cultural context. He believed that studying cultures requires interpreting the meanings people assign to their actions, rather than just observing behaviors. His work contributed significantly to cultural anthropology, transforming how researchers analyze and understand different societies, highlighting the complexity of human experiences and the importance of context in cultural analysis.