Clifford Geertz [1926-2006]

The cultural anthropologist and ethnographer Clifford Geertz, who died yesterday at the age of 80, was an incredibly influential scientist to a generation of us, and whose writing and teaching style was remarkable for its clarity and precision. As far as I'm concerned, his notion of 'thick description', which argued that because human behavior is complex one must always report the context of a given action, not just the action, is the reason my notebooks on any research I've ever done are weighty tomes indeed.

Here's a sampling of the brief rememberances around the net today, as well as a link to Geertz's influential essay on Thick Description:

• Thick Description: Towards an Interpretive Theory of Culture (Clifford Geertz, 1973, online text)
• Clifford Geertz, RIP, from Rex on Savage Minds
• Clifford Geertz, Rest in Peace, from Kambiz Kamrani on Anthropology.net
• Remembering Clifford Geertz, more resources from Rex on Savage Minds
• Clifford Geertz, RIP, Hal Rager on Blivet

More 'official' obituaries have appeared in the WaPo and NYT, as well as the Institute for Advanced Study, where Geertz was Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Science at the time of his death.

• Clifford Geertz: Altered Foundation of Anthropology, Washington Post 11/2/06
• Clifford Geertz, Cultural Anthropologist, Is Dead at 80, New York Times 11/2/06 (requires a free registration)
• Clifford Geertz, 1926-2006, Institute for Advanced Study