After the Fact: Two Countries, Four Decades, One Anthropologist

by Clifford Geertz

Book Overview

"Suppose," Clifford Geertz suggests, "having entangled yourself every now and again over four decades or so in the goings-on in two provincial towns, one a Southeast Asian bend in the road, one a North African outpost and passage point, you wished to say something about how those goings-on had changed." A narrative presents itself, a tour of indices and trends, perhaps a memoir? None, however, will suffice, because in forty years more has changed...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674008723
• ISBN13: 9780674008724
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

One of my favorites...

I developed a strong preference for Geertz and his methodology during my undergraduate studies. In this book he does an outstanding job of amending structuralism with realtivism, anecdotally, and manages to keep the tone entertaining and personal.

the great but unclassifiable anthropologist

A Professor of Social Science at Princeton for decades, Geertz gave a series of lectures at the University of Jerusalem and these were the result. The book serves as a memoir of his four decades in the field of anthropology and brings together two areas of the world where he has built his career. Noting the similarities and differences of working in Indonesia and Morocco, Geertz draws comparative aspects of these divergent cultures. Known for his 'thick description' which was made Bible in the "interpretation of cultures" (a must first-read for understanding his theories), Geertz uses it some, but doesn't overload the reader here. The uninformed reader can still enjoy the behind-the-scenes-look at one of the foremost anthropologists of the 20th century and not get lost along the way. For the Geertz fan, it is a must read, if nothing for his funny anecdotes.