Research On Geertz's Religious Symbol System

As a contemporary anthropologist in the United States,Geertz's field of study mainly involves religion.Therefore,Geertz is also a religious anthropologist.Geertz not only provided a new research method for anthropology,but also proposed a new perspective on the study of religion.Geertz put forward the "thick description" theory,which records the religion of a nation through a thick description method,and truly shows the original religion of the nation.Geertz emphasizes that while paying attention to the meaning behind the phenomenon,it is also necessary to pay attention to the true record of the event itself.Geertz always believes that only the true understanding and recording of a nation's culture,and then the symbolic interpretation of it,is the interpretation of culture.On the basis of his theory of cultural interpretation,Geertz regards religion as a cultural system,a cultural system that appears as a symbol.As a cultural system,religion's ultimate goal is to seek meaning.Religious symbolism is often related to the ethos and world view of a nation.Religious symbolism creates values by giving reality to a given world view,and values are externalized into a unique ethos.Therefore,religious symbols have been given the established nationality and meaning.Unlike previous religious scholars,Geertz emphasized that the task of religious anthropologists is to interpret the religious identity of each nation rather than to seek commonality among religions.