Maximal Interpretation in Clifford Geertz and the Strong Program in Cultural Sociology: Towards a New Epistemology

Abstract

The strong program in cultural sociology faces — and creates for sociology generally — an epistemic dilemma: does an interpretation of culture constitute an explanation of social action? The work of Clifford Geertz suggests the two are not mutually exclusive. In his empirical studies he artfully produced `maximal interpretations' that went beyond both extant theories and the immediate data given by participant observation. Maximal interpretations, I argue, claim the epistemic status of sociological explanations. Indeed, the core problems of the philosophy of social science and social theory can be reframed in terms of the difference between relatively uncontroversial `minimal interpretation' and relatively tendentious (but powerful)`maximal interpretation'.The implications of this distinction for research can be made clear by considering, as an example, what is required to explain witch hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America, and the Salem witch trials in particular.