Beyond the “Dangers of Geertzism.” Giovanni Levi in Conversation with Giovanni Zampieri

Abstract

In this interview with Giovanni Zampieri, historian Giovanni Levi reflects on his intellectual career, focusing particularly on the relationship between history, sociology, and interpretive anthropology as practiced by Clifford Geertz. In the interview, Levi elaborates on debates at the intersection of these disciplines concerning comparison and generalization and the relationship between knowledge and language. These themes open new avenues for reflection at the porous borders of history and the social sciences, in continuity with the insights offered by the other contributors to “The Interpretation of Cultures at Fifty”.

Keywords

• microhistory
• historical sociology
• geertzism
• interdisciplinarity