Geertz, Clifford James (1926–2006)

US cultural anthropologist. He consistently argued for a more open and interdisciplinary approach to his subject. He viewed the structures of society less like an ‘elaborate machine’ and more like a ‘serious game’. In works such as The Misinterpretation of Cultures (1973), he maintained that the task of the anthropologist is to interpret the signs and symbols of society in the same way that a critic interprets a text.

He was professor of social sciences at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 1970–2000. Studying ethnic groups and social structures, he carried out extensive research in North Africa and Southeast Asia.