Clifford Geertz 1926-2006

Clifford Geertz , who founded the School of Social Science at the Institute of Advanced Studies, has passed away. He was the author of at least 10 books on anthropology, Indonesian history and sociology, ecology, Islam, symbolism, interpretive social science, and probably other stuff. He was one of the true greats of anthropology. What do people in this group think of him, and what are your reflections on his passing? Have you used or cited him in your own work? Do you assign him in your classes or mention him to students? Do you think he was overrated? Do you think Geertz became passe, and people dumped him for postmodernism, Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, and whatnot? Comments please.

I don't believe that Geertz is in any way passe. Descriptive anthropology is still the basis to much modern ethnography.