Summary Of Clifford Geertz's Interpretation Of Culture

Clifford Geertz, American anthropologist, did extensive studies on the interpretation of culture. in his discourse on culture, Geertz (1973) referred to Clyde Kluckhohn’s definition of culture in turn as of “the total way of life of a people,” “a way of thinking, feeling and believing,” “a store house of pooled learning,” “learned behaviour,” “a precipitate of history” among others (as cited in Geertz, 1973, pp. 4 - 5). According to Geertz (1973), culture is the common interpretation of public signs and symbols. Moreover, Geertz suggested that culture is “a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and their attitude towards

All the different groups that inhabited the Caribbean used art as a representation of their culture. These people did drawings and paintings on body, tools, masks, floors and costumes. In addition to that, these drawings and paintings were significant and were valued by these groups. The use of art by these groups were used for ritualistic and ceremonial purposes among others. Visual Art is one of the areas that have been suppressed by Grenada’s culture through the educational institution. A look into the CSEC Visual Arts Syllabus which aims at providing students with a basis for further study, enhances leisure time pursuits and fosters their aesthetic, physical, spiritual, personal and cultural development (CXC, 2017) shows how Visual Art is being suppressed. No one is questioning the syllabus; because no one thinks that there is anything wrong with it. Questions should be raised such as; should Visual Art is being taught as a subject or should it come from within? As Beckles and Shepherd (2006) puts is “art-forms represent important aspects of a society’s culture as they arise out of the creative expressions of a