Thick Description

In the article, “Thick Description” by Clifford Geertz, it challenges the Weberian ideal of interpretive social science. Geertz would discussed that culture was made up of a system of symbols and meanings. In addition, he argues that the overall goal of cultural analysis was to find the deeper understanding of what is behind human behavior and action. The article emphasizes that the best method to understand human behavior was ethnography. Ethnography is the practice of observing codes, symbols, and systems of signs. This quite interesting as the method would allow people to closely examine codes, symbols, and systems of signs in order to understand human action and behavior. In addition, Geertz argues that people should focus on bigger issues such like violence, wars, and more

Culture is created and defined by interactions among people in groups. Within groups, it allows a better interaction among peers as it would spread culture from one group to another. In this article, Fine discusses about idioculture. Idioculture consists “of a system of knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, and customs shared by members of an interacting group to which members can refer and employ as the basis of further interaction”. Fine also points out the five arguments for idioculture construct. They are specificity of cultures, comparative analysis of groups, cultural creation and diffusion in societies and subsocieties, groups as cultural units, and culture as mediation between environment and action. I found it interesting as the author points out that idioculture does not in fact exist, but, the creation of culture may occur when the groups are gathering. I would think this is true at the beginning of group interactions people would slowly begin to discuss topics related to the groups. It would then lead to the creation of culture as everyone would then share what they know about the