Symbolic anthropology (or more broadly, symbolic and interpretive anthropology) is a diverse set of approaches within cultural anthropology that view culture as a symbolic system that arises primarily from human interpretations of the world. It is often viewed in contrast to more empirically oriented approaches in anthropology such as cultural materialism. Prominent symbolic anthropologists include Clifford Geertz, David Schneider, Victor Turner, and Mary Douglas.

Anthropology | Religion and society | Study of religion