Clifford Geertz: Deep at Work in Bali By definition, anthropology is the study of humanity and of human culture. The aim of anthropology is the focus on all aspects of human physical, social, and cultural life and is illustrated in Clifford Geertz’s essay "Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight". In his essay, Geertz is giving the reader an insider’s view of an integral aspect of the Balinese society and attempts to describe …showed first 75 words of 1076 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1076 total…Notes on the Balinese Cockfight" that Geertz had an authentic anthropological visit to Bali. He lived in the Balinese community among the local people, developed preliminary hypotheses about the nature of the cockfight, and collected data to verify. Ultimately, Geertz draws conclusions about his exposure to Balinese culture and summarizes that "…the guiding principle is the same: societies, like lives, contain their own interpretations. One has only to learn how to gain access to them" (333).