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The purpose of symbolic and interpretive anthropology can be described through a term used often by Geertz that originated from Gilbert Ryle, "Thick Description."By this what is conveyed, is that since culture and behavior can only be studied as a unit, studying culture and its smaller sections of the structure, thick description is what details the interpretation of those belonging to a ...
The anthropology of religion is principally concerned with the common basic human needs that religion fulfills. The cultural anthropology of religion is principally concerned with the cultural aspects of religion. Of primary concern to the cultural anthropologist of religions are rituals, beliefs, religious art, and practices of piety.
The concept of thick description has become a cornerstone of ethnographic research, emphasizing the importance of context in understanding cultural practices. Geertz’s ideas also laid the groundwork for what would later be known as symbolic or interpretive anthropology, a school of thought that has had a lasting impact on the study of culture.
The anthropology of religion, as a field, overlaps with but is distinct from the field of Religious Studies. The history of anthropology of religion is a history of striving to understand how other people view and navigate the world. This history involves deciding what religion is, what it does, and how it functions. [2]
Clifford James Geertz (/ ɡ ɜːr t s / ⓘ; August 23, 1926 – October 30, 2006) 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."
Symbolic religiosity is a term coined by sociologist Herbert Gans. [1] [2] Gans explores the concept of symbolic religiosity as a concept parallel to, although separate from symbolic ethnicity. To Gans, symbolic religiosity is religious behavior detached from any comprehensive religious observance or religious affiliation. [3]
The theories by Tylor and Frazer (focusing on the explanatory value of religion for its adherents), by Rudolf Otto (focusing on the importance of religious experience, more specifically experiences that are both fascinating and terrifying) and by Mircea Eliade (focusing on the longing for otherworldly perfection, the quest for meaning, and the ...
Theory within the archaeology of religion borrows heavily from the Anthropology of religion, which encompasses a broad range of perspectives.These include: Émile Durkheim's functionalist understanding of religion as serving to separate the sacred and the profane; [8] Karl Marx's idea of religion as "the opium of the masses" or a false consciousness, [9] Clifford Geertz's loose definition of ...