Clifford Geertz Quotes

Clifford Geertz — American Scientist born on August 23, 1926, died on October 30, 2006

Clifford James Geertz 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 decades...the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States." He served until his death as professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton... (wikipedia)

It's always amusing to look at how something early in the 20th century was written in anthropology and how it's written now. There's been an enormous shift in how it's done, but yet you can't put your finger on someone who actually did it.

The point of literary criticism in anthropology is not to replace research, but to find out how it is that we are persuasive.

Meaning is socially, historically, and rhetorically constructed.

My instincts are always against people who want to fasten some sort of hegemony onto things.

I'm an inveterate fox and not a hedgehog, so I always think you should try everything.