Clifford Geertz Deep Play Notes on a Balinese Cockfight...

The job of an anthropologist is complex. It requires a very diverse arsenal of talents and abilities that few can use successfully. An anthropologist must be able to observe the in-depth content of human nature within a society, analyze it from all aspects, and perform cross-cultural comparisons. The essay Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight is written by a well respected anthropologist by the name of Clifford Geertz, who details his observations of the Balinese culture. Geertz was a professor at Princeton and received his Ph.D. from Harvard, as well as publishing several successful books in the field of anthropology. Geertzs essay presents a study and analysis on the Balinese culture through the males obsessive affiliation†¦show more content†¦In studying Bali it is easy for an anthropologist to overlook cockfighting and aside from a few passing remarks, the cockfight has barely been noticed (276). However through Geertzs observation he believes that the cockfig hting has much more depth to it and it is not the cocks that are fighting, actually, it is men (276). In Bali animals are not portrayed as beautiful creatures but detested as representing demons. Much of Balinese life is adjusted to prevent any association with animals so they will file the childs teeth at a young age and eat hurriedly and privately because they believe it is beast-like (278). The Balinese are aversive to animals, so why are they so involved with cockfights? Geertz believes the male Balinese identify with cocks as what they most fear, hate, and are fascinated by Ââ€" The Powers of Darkness (278). Rather than treating the cocks cruelly like any other animal, they treat them with a tremendous amount of care and respect, even beyond that of fellow humans. Geertz as an anthropologist is capable of recognizing this relationship between the Balinese men and their fascination with cocks and how it has an affect on their culture. In the third section of the essay ent itled The Fight, Geertz explains how a typical cockfight is to be held. It begins with two men finding a fair opponent to match up against in a ringShow MoreRelatedSymbolic Interactionism and Geertz Deep Play - an Integration1448 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolic Interactionism and Geertz’ Deep Play Symbolic interaction, one of the three main perspectives of the social sciences of Anthropology and Sociology, was thought to be first conceived by Max Weber and George Herbert Mead as they both emphasized the subjective meaning of human behavior, the social process, and the humanistic way of viewing of Anthropology and Sociology. 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