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12 - Interpretive Approaches

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2021

Alan Barnard
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
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Summary

We now turn to an utter rejection of structure. Two figures are prominent: Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard and Clifford Geertz. Evans-Pritchard maintained an approach that saw anthropology as akin to history. He rejected anthropology as a science. A better analogy saw anthropology as an exercise in translation. Geertz built on the idea of complex nuance in the study of culture. In other words, he favoured a quest for ‘thick description’.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Interpretive Approaches
  • Alan Barnard, University of Edinburgh
  • Book: History and Theory in Anthropology
  • Online publication: 09 December 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108936620.013
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  • Interpretive Approaches
  • Alan Barnard, University of Edinburgh
  • Book: History and Theory in Anthropology
  • Online publication: 09 December 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108936620.013
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Interpretive Approaches
  • Alan Barnard, University of Edinburgh
  • Book: History and Theory in Anthropology
  • Online publication: 09 December 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108936620.013
Available formats
×