Balinese Cockfight Summary

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Introduction Clifford James Geertz is an American anthropologist, very well known for his influential theory on the field of symbolic anthropology. For three decades this theory of interpreting culture was regarded as one of the most important frame work to explain culture. Clifford Geertz presented this theory in his book namely ‘’Thick Description: Towards an Interpretive Theory of Culture’’ which is published in 1973. In this book he presented a method of doing anthropology. Geertz mention that he adopted the term “Thick Description” from the writings of philosopher Gilbert. He explain this term by adding that "a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their …show more content…

it considered as the most important work of Geertz. This essay addresses the meaning of cockfighting in Balinese culture. Geertz starts by writing about the bali people and leter added description of Cockfights. it is generally illegal in modern Indonesia Geertz went there to do his fieldwork in 1950s. The first cockfight that he and his wife viewed was broken up by the police. The experience of hiding from the police in the courtyard of a local couple allowed Geertz to break the tension between himself and the villagers, and perform all of the interviews and observation which make up The Interpretation of Cultures. Geertz mentions that Balinese cockfight is an art form. And he talks about the event as going to watch a play. And it is an entertaining for Balinese as well as the foreigner. It would be wrong for an anthropologist to see this event as a structural ritualistic event, which it isn’t. And it conveys a much clearer message to the Balinese than to the observer. It is a social commentary that the Balinese has about them. Sometime the fight itself is telling about the Balinies society. And he doesn’t say that is rituals. Just like that the main purpose of the Balinese cockfight event would be to generate an inner thinking between the locals themselves about the social issues in a social

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