"I'm writing a review of three books on feminism and science, and it's about social constructionism. So I would say I'm a social constructionist, whatever that means"
- Clifford Geertz
About this Quote
Clifford Geertz's quote suggests that he is a social constructionist, which is a philosophical approach that sees social phenomena as being built by people. This implies that social phenomena, such as gender roles, are not natural or predetermined, however rather are created and kept by human beings. Geertz's quote suggests that he is a social constructionist because he is composing an evaluation of three books on feminism and science, which are subjects that are greatly influenced by social constructionism. This quote also suggests that Geertz knows the ramifications of social constructionism, but is uncertain of what it indicates in practice. This could be because social constructionism is a relatively brand-new idea, and its ramifications are still being checked out.