Anthropology Quote by Clifford Geertz
“Anthropology never has had a distinct subject matter, and because it doesn't have a real method, there's a great deal of anxiety over what it is”
About This Quote
Anthropology lacks a single focus or method, leading to uncertainty about its identity.
In simple terms: Anthropology feels undefined and anxious.
Key Takeaway
Embrace interdisciplinary flexibility.
Themes
anthropology
identity
method
anxiety
discipline
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
academic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic curricula
- research design
- fieldwork
- theoretical debates
- disciplinary boundaries
Key Concepts
epistemology
pluralism
scholarship
Questions to Reflect On
- What defines a discipline’s core?
- Can methodological diversity be a strength?
A Different Perspective
Some argue anthropology does have core methods like participant observation.
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
