To whom is the term ‘thick description’ attributed?

The correct answer is Clifford Geertz.

The concept of "thick description" is a fundamental methodological tool in qualitative research, particularly within the field of anthropology. While the term was initially introduced by the philosopher Gilbert Ryle, it was the prominent American anthropologist Clifford Geertz who fully developed and popularized it in his seminal 1973 book, The Interpretation of Cultures.

In anthropology, a "thin description" simply states a factual, physical action (for example, a rapid contraction of an eyelid), whereas a "thick description" explains the context of the behavior and its meaning within a specific culture (distinguishing a reflex wink from a social signal, a mock wink, or a twitch). Clifford Geertz argued that the role of an anthropologist is to interpret these layers of social meaning, making "thick description" central to interpretive anthropology.