Interpretivist - as exemplified by Clifford Geertz (1926 - 2006)  

Clifford Geertz

Among his most important works are The Religion of Java (1960) and The Interpretation of Cultures (1973). Geertz asks: what does "religion" mean for the participants of a particular religion? And how do I best access that meaning and accurately present it? Main points:

• Religion is defined as a model of the world, general conceptualizations of moral order, a world view, passively describing it, as well as a model for the world, offering emotional, affective tone, an ethos, actively bringing forth and creating that world, all of which is understood as true and real. (Sounds familiar?)
• "Model of" - can be seen as a form of continuation of Functional, Psychoanalytical and Structural orientation, representing "society," "moral good of superego," and "structures of the mind" (Not exclusive of other theories)
• But "model for" is a new and important ingredient added, "create world." The implications for epistemology and basic ontology are very significant. (see constructivist). At one level, religious symbols are understood as potent and animated with power, e.g., medicine bundle, sand painting, or crucifix, while at another level, entire societies can bring about a conceptualization of the world, e.g., Balinese, Hinduism or Christianity.

• The research focus is on "thick description" of specific and richly texture cultural events, i.e., the detail of symbolic action and structures, and on eliciting and interpreting the symbolic meaning from perspective of the participants, i.e., an "emic" as opposed to "etic" (linguistic model). The shift to an emic from etic emphasis was influenced by the "Ethnoscience" theories of Ward Goodenough. Don't impose own categories and images, e.g., evolutionists.

• As an emic perspective, acknowledge "relativism," a non-judgmental stance. No one religion is somehow superior to or more sacred then another, i.e., the peoples feel their religion is real and true, and the anthropologist is not in a position to questions one's beliefs as somehow true or false.

• Concern about "interpreting" the meaning of a cultural event. Thus not concerned with issues of origins, evolutionary stages, or functions, either societal or psychological, nor about analysis and "discovery" of scientific truth or universal laws.

• Problems:? ? ?
• Contributes:
  1. The understanding that culture acts as both a model of and model for the world.
  2. The importance of an emic perspective and relativism in comprehending another culture.
  3. The focus on a "text," i.e., "thick description," an interpretive approach to understanding the human experience.

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