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== Clifford Geertz == Following Ryle's work, the American anthropologist [[Clifford Geertz]] re-popularized the concept. Known for his [[Interpretive anthropology|symbolic and interpretive anthropological]] work, Geertz's methods were in response to his critique of existing anthropological methods that searched for universal truths and theories. He was against comprehensive theories of human behavior; rather, he advocated methodologies that highlight culture from the perspective of how people looked at and experienced life. His 1973 article, "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture", synthesizes his approach.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Geertz|1973}}</ref> Thick description emphasized a more analytical approach, whereas previously observation alone was the primary approach. To Geertz, analysis separated observation from interpretative methodologies. An analysis is meant to pick out the critical structures and established codes. This analysis begins with distinguishing all individuals present and coming to an integrative synthesis that accounts for the actions produced. The ability of thick descriptions to showcase the totality of a situation to aid in the overall understanding of findings was called ''mélange of descriptors''. As Lincoln & Guba (1985) indicate, findings are not the result of thick description; rather they result from analyzing the materials, concepts, or persons that are "thickly described."<ref>Lincoln, Yvonna S., and Egon G. Guba. 1985. {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/naturalisticinqu00linc|title=Naturalistic Inquiry|year=1985|isbn=9780803924314|url-access=registration}} SAGE. {{ISBN|9780803924314}}.</ref> {{Harvcoltxt|Geertz|1973}} takes issue with the state of anthropological practices in understanding culture. By highlighting the reductive nature of ethnography, to reduce culture to "menial observations," Geertz hoped to reintroduce ideas of culture as semiotic. By this he intended to add signs and deeper meaning to the collection of observations. These ideas would challenge [[Edward Burnett Tylor]]'s concepts of culture as a "most complex whole" that is able to be understood; instead culture, to Geertz, could never be fully understood or observed. Because of this, ethnographic observations must rely on the context of the population being studied by understanding how the participants come to recognize actions in relation to one another and to the overall structure of the society in a specific place and time. Today, various disciplines have implemented thick description in their work.{{sfnp|Thompson|2001}} Geertz pushes for a search for a "web of meaning". These ideas were incompatible with textbook definitions of ethnography of the times that described ethnography as systematic observations{{sfnp|Barth|2007|p=?}} of different populations under the guise of [[Race (human categorization)|Race]] categorization and categorizing the "other."{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} To Geertz, culture should be treated as symbolic, allowing for observations to be connected with greater meanings.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Geertz|1973}}</ref> This approach brings about its own difficulties. Studying communities via large-scale anthropological interpretation will bring about discrepancies in understanding. As cultures are dynamic and changing, Geertz also emphasizes the importance of speaking ''to'' rather than speaking ''for'' the subjects of ethnographic research and recognizing that cultural analysis is never complete. This method is essential to approach the actual context of a culture. As such, Geertz points out that interpretive works provide ethnographers the ability to have conversations with the people they study.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Geertz|1973}}</ref>
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