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Cultural Texts: The idea that cultural practices, behaviors, and artifacts are “texts” that can be “read” and interpreted to understand the meaning systems of a society.

Holistic Approach: Symbolic and interpretive anthropology emphasizes understanding cultures as a whole, focusing on the interconnections between beliefs, practices, symbols, and social structures.

Social Performance: The view that social life is a performance, where individuals enact roles that are shaped by cultural expectations and symbols.

Metaphor: In interpretive anthropology, metaphors are seen as powerful tools that shape thought and action, organizing social reality through symbolic language.

Rituals: A central focus of symbolic anthropology, rituals are seen as symbolic actions that convey cultural meanings, reaffirm social norms, and reinforce social bonds.

Cultural Meaning: The belief that social actions, rituals, and symbols are meaningful and can be understood only within their specific cultural context.

Thick Description: A term coined by Geertz to describe the detailed, nuanced descriptions of cultural practices that capture both the behavior and the meanings behind it.

Interpretive Anthropology: A perspective closely associated with Clifford Geertz, which emphasizes the interpretation of cultural symbols and practices, understanding them as meaningful systems within specific contexts.

Symbolic Anthropology: An approach that focuses on the role of symbols in shaping culture, meaning, and social interactions. It asserts that symbols (e.g., rituals, language, art) are key to understanding social life.